I think the comparison of
photography and death is extraordinarily intriguing. If you think about it,
every single photograph you take is freezing an actual moment in time, and
after the photograph is taken, that physical moment is forever gone and lost.
At the same time, however, that moment will eternally live on through that
photograph, and you can revisit it again and again and conjure up similar, if
not the same emotions you felt the day you snapped the shot. It’s as though
photography is a time machine, or a time capsule, through which one can always
go back and reminisce about a specific instance or person and, through personal
digging deep within one’s emotions and heart and soul, that person can
literally relive the memories they had the day that picture was taken as well
as the emotions which were felt at the time. This is an extremely personal
endeavor and a very somber commitment. I’ve constantly pondered the concept of
photography robbing the actual “now”
moment from a person, as he or she is technically “living life through a
lens…or hiding behind one,” because they are too preoccupied with getting the
“perfect” shot of a moment instead of soaking it up with absolutely no
distractions or stressors. At the same time, having no way of capturing a
moment in time comes the anxiety of only getting to “live” that moment once, as
well as the anxiety of forgetting how memorable and beautiful it was. I’ve also
pondered a counter argument to this, as a photograph often captures the detail
and soul of a subject—something other mediums truly cannot do, because they are
not literal reflections of the subject (i.e. a painting can replicate a person
while a photograph is an exact depiction of what the subject looked like the
day the photo was taken). It’s like a mirror or a window to the soul and
spirit.
While I was at the Eiffel Tower
this morning, I also pondered these very concepts, but my mind started
wondering towards another very relevant and positive reminder of why I love the
process of photography so very much, and that is the fact that often when we’re
physically experiencing a place or interacting with a person, we don’t have
time to process our own responses bit-by-bit due to the plethora of other distractions
typically present (i.e. you can’t process every ounce of your own thoughts to
the T while conversing with someone
else). The only way to be able to successfully have one’s cake and eat it too,
per se, is to take a photo, and to put your all into that photo, because once
it’s taken, it’s taken, and you can later go back and assess all of that which you
pushed to the back of your brain while the situation was actually occurring. I
truly believe that photography in moderation is extremely rewarding, because it
gives you the time (granted you don’t take too many photos and spend the entire
experience “hiding behind the lens”) to just live the experience you want to remember and process and then
return back to it and mentally reflect upon it.
To view these complete sets of photos, click on the following links to my Flickr:
Click HERE!
AND here!
To view these complete sets of photos, click on the following links to my Flickr:
Click HERE!
AND here!
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