(Untitled)
I) Went walking in the mountains today. I unglamorously slipped on a patch of wet mud and skidded a little downhill before landing squarely on my bottom, one arm clutching my jacket and the other tilting my new camera upwards so that it didn't touch a single speck of dirt. I was relieved, though a bit annoyed at the patch of mud on my sneaker.
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ANYWAY IWAS GOING TO SAY, PHOTOGRAPHY ACTUALLY GIVES A LIFE TO SOME THINGS RATHER THAN JUST RECORD THE LIFE OF SOMETHING. THE PHOTOGRAPH WILL ALWAYS BE A NOT-QUITE-THERE SUBSTITUTE FOR WHAT'S REAL -- BUT IT'S ONLY NOTQUITETHERE IF THAT'S YOUR ONLY PURPOSE IN PHOTOGRAPHY, THAT IS, TO CAPTURE A MOMENT IN TIME. USING THE CAMERA ALREADY MEANS PUTTING ON A LENS ON SOMETHING THAT EXISTS, POINTING IT AT SOMETHING IS ALREADY AN ARTISTIC ACTION OF SELECTION AND DECISION.
WHAT I'M SAYING IS THAT THE CAMERA IS OBJECTIVE, BUT PHOTOGRAPHY IS SUBJECTIVE. ALSO, DOCUMENTATION IS ONLY ONE OF ITS MANY PURPOSES -- DON'T BE TOO CAUGHT UP SNAPPING THINGS BECAUSE YOU'RE DRIVEN JUST BY THEIR TRANSIENCE AND EPHEMERALITY. SIMILARLY, A PHOTOGRAPH IS A POOR SUBSTITUTE FOR WHAT YOU CAN ACTUALLY SEE WITH YOUR OWN EYES. THE PHOTOGRAPH JUST MANAGES TO RECORD LIKE THAT 5% OR LESS OF THE BEAUTY YOU WERE ATTRACTED TO.
I'M SAYING ALL THESE BECAUSE I'VE REALIZED THAT WHEN PEOPLE START OFF WITH TAKING PHOTOGRAPHS THEY OFTEN END UP SNAPPING LIKE A LOT MORE THAN THEY NEED TO (AND THUS ALSO SHORTEN THEIR SHUTTER LIFE MUCH FASTER!! :( ) AND THOUGH SPONTANEITY IS ALWAYS GOOD, LOOKING, REALLY SEEING, IS EVEN BETTER.
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