Earlier this week over dinner, I was talking with a friend about photography. It’s always something that I’ve felt a connection with / pull towards. Even as a kid, I remember taking pics of the sky with disposable film cameras, never to be developed. The idea of creating art without paint or pen and pencil was just cool. Over time, the love of the imagery grew into a love of the camera itself, the feel and mechanics. I found myself at our local Borders browsing the photo magazines while sipping on a chai latte. It was there that I stumbled on LensWork magazine and a particular article that expanded photography beyond the imagery and the machine, pushing it into a philosophy, a way of life. I don’t know the exact quote but it went something like this …
“Being a photographer teaches you to look at the world differently."
It wasn’t long after that realized how true that was. I was noticing details glossed over by others. I was paying more attention the light and shadow, reflections and distortions. I was drawn to how colors played off each other and how lines guided the eye. I was finding beauty in everyday things.
The day day after dinner, Leica posted The impermanence of things - Cédric Roux with the Leica Q3 to YouTube. At one point early on, I paused and made note of this line …
“I photograph whenever I have free time, to show others what they don’t take the time to see."
I’m not sure that folks don’t necessarily take the time to see. I think that maybe some just can’t, life being what it is. For all of those people, I hope for a few moments of quiet, to let the mind wonder. To see beyond the surface of things or simply be fascinated with the superficial.
While being a photographer, even casually, may be a way to see life, it isn’t the only way to see the beauty in everday things.
