Capturing Meaning
“To me, photography is an art of observation. It's about finding something interesting in an ordinary place ... I've found it has little to do with the things you see and everything to do with the way you see them."
- Elliott Erwitt
The most difficult part of photography is not learning the mechanics like shutter speed and aperture, rather it is mastering the art of "seeing" the world around us. The real challenge in photography is teaching ourselves to see the world around us and discover the moments that capture meaning.
If you have read some of my previous posts, you will know that I encourage readers to take time out of their hectic day to closely attend to the ordinary objects and events that are so often passed by. As we move through life adding years and experience, we all risk becoming blind to the details that once captivated us. It is always exciting to see a young child's fascination with the world. What we as adults come to see as routine and even mundane, is a fresh and new experience capable of holding the child's attention for hours.
While on a photo walk at a small suburban park in Raleigh, North Carolina, I came across a weathered shed which was situated in a natural garden area. Securing the wooden door was a worn padlock. I couldn't help but think of the generations of creativity, design, and engineering innovation, that resulted in the lock that I observed. Locks are an amazing technology with known examples dating back to 500BC. (Check out Raine Borg's Website about the history of locks at http://www.historicallocks.com for fascinating information). Designed to keep items secure, the chipped paint and worn metal in the image hints at the hands that have grasped and unlocked this door over the years to gain access to the shed. For me, the real story was not what the shed contained, but the convergence of the many lives that shared this common connection.
On a late afternoon walk along River Street in Savannah, Georgia, I spotted this planter wedged between the pipes along a building wall. The image struck me as a metaphor for the struggle between nature and civilization. The constant fight humankind wages to maintain control of the natural world. The image is also strong reminder that all things are temporary. All that we have and all that we are ultimately falls prey to the ravages of time. The plant in the image serves as a reminder that in the midst of the the decay and chaos of the city (and life), beauty survives.
Several years ago, while playing miniature golf with my family in Myrtle Beach South Carolina, I saw this weathered wood by one of the holes. Decorated with the signatures of many individuals who passed before, the plank speaks to our very basic human need to connect and record our presence as we pass through this life. The movement inherent in the writing shapes and texture of the wood reminded me of the Paleolithic paintings in Lascaux caves in France. In more recent times, when NASA launched the Voyager spacecraft on a journey that would ultimately leave our solar system, they included a gold plated record which contained greetings from all the peoples of earth. As then U.S. president Jimmy Carter so eloquently said - "This is a present from a small, distant world, a token of our sounds, our science, our images, our music, our thoughts and our feelings. We are attempting to survive our time so we may live into yours."
Photography can be a vehicle to slow down and connect more deeply with our surroundings. Losing one's self in the moment - embracing the interaction of light and shape and color becomes like a prayer - a transformative experience that places us in closer relationship with creation.