Photographs

On By Mick CanningIn photographs

I’ve become very bad at taking photographs. Not exactly lazy, it’s more that my focus is on the world around me. More and more now I find that when I’m out for a walk all my senses are tuned into the world around me – sounds, sights, smells – and I feel I just want to take them all in, rather than try to record them. I just want to be in the moment.

And, incidentally, a photograph is a poor substitute. It can never capture a complete experience – the colour is frequently leached out by bright sunshine, I cannot hear the wind in the trees, or smell the scents of autumn. I cannot feel the nip of the sharp early morning air. The sounds surrounding me would all be lost. The leaves suddenly whirling all around me in the breeze. I would lose the deceptive simplicity and is-ness of all this.

And yet, I enjoy photographs. I use them a lot in my writing. How to square the circle? Must I only take photographs on days I set out to focus on photography? They are good memory joggers. You may not get the sounds or scents (or sharp nips), but a photo may well remind you of them. And they can be things of beauty on their own, of course.

I think I need to find a way of taking photographs without disturbing whatever is my current train of thought at the time. A sort of Zen-like process.

41 thoughts on “Photographs”

  3. I had been an Photojournalist and an Independent Visual Artist for over one and a half decade now before turning towards Writing and Films, Mick. And what you wrote troubled me for the longest period as the transition of not making images to writing or makin motion picture kept pinning me to losing some to finding what!? But now as I dealt with that vulnerability, photography is another kind of philosophy that make us observe better.

    I enjoy making images now but i do not make them unless its purely for memory or i know that thus frame must be made. To what you wrote, in olden days they used to say, you are not a bad photographer but a bad editor 🙂

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

    1. I know what you mean about taking photographs making us observe better, Narayan, it does make you look into the subject. But my problem (and maybe it’s just me) is that when I do that I often seem to lose the bigger picture; I see the detail but not the whole. That’s the main reason I decide I’m not going to take any pictures sometimes.

      Like

      Reply

      1. Can it also be this way Mick, that making images for so long made us better in many ways that now it is teaching to step back a little and observe without even making that image, knowing that we would have taken it.
        May be something is telling you to practice the other way, to see wholly, yet deeply.

        Your decision is on point 🙂

        Liked by 2 people

        Reply

    1. Funnily enough, I think I was a keener photographer when I used film. Probably the discipline of having to be selective, and frame (etc) every shot both focussed me more but also stopped me from looking at everything as a potential picture.

      Liked by 2 people

      Reply

      1. The photographer Jim Brandenburg went into the woods and limited himself to taking only one photograph per day for 90 days. Out of this came the gorgeous little book Chased By The Light.
        My own parents left behind less than 200 photographs. The family treasures each one. My personal Photos library is now up to 21,685 photographs. Insane. What in the world will my children do with such a glut? 

        Liked by 1 person

        Reply

  7. I have enjoyed your blog over the years, My photographic life has been a long , experientual journey of discovery of many things including rusty metal, flowers, leafs , people, in a word, of the things that move me in some way,. for me takjng the ohotos puts me in a direct relationshio with the objuects that demand my attention.

    Cheers and carry on,

    Bruce

    Liked by 3 people

    Reply

        1. That’s probably a good idea. And I wonder whether that’s kind of happening with me anyway. Perhaps the process / my subconscious is pushing me a little in one direction. I’ll have to ponder that.

          Like

          Reply
  9. Michael Graeme's avatar Michael Graeme

    A good point. I tend to focus on the details, looking to isolate bits of the landscape with a camera, like when the Victorians used to hold a frame up and look through it to exclude what would otherwise be overwhelming. But I’ve probably gone too far with it. On a few occasions I’ve tried to leave my camera behind and just, as you say, immerse yourself in the present moment and experience the outdoors as a whole, but I’ve yet to manage it. I tell myself that bringing some images home allows me to extend the experience of the day as I fiddle about with editing software, teasing back what I thought I saw in the picture, but which the camera didn’t quite capture. Anyway, much food for thought.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    1. Leaving the camera behind seems to work best for me, Michael. Although, having said that, I frequently take it with me and completely forget I’ve got it! perhaps that’s my subconscious sorting me out…

      I agree the images do extend the experience, it’s just a case of doing it occasionally and not obsessively.

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

  10. Memories fade quickly, Mick! After my travel, everything blends together. Photography helps me to remember time and space. I take tons of photos hoping some of them would capture the moment such as my grandkids’ smiles.

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

    1. I think it’s a bit different with holidays, or family get-togethers, Miriam. The photos do seem very important, then. Although I still feel we end up with too many of the things and that they can sometimes distract from the events themselves. I feel some people come home and then look through their photos to see where they’ve been.

      Like

      Reply

  12. It’s interesting: when I look at one of my photos of nature — a flower, for example — I remember immediately where I took it, what the day was like, and what I was thinking at the time. This may be related to my possibly odd, almost photographic memory. For example, if I want to find a passage in a favorite book, I can often envision it, and there’s the page number. Ask me where I found my first prickly poppy, and I can tell you the exact stretch of road, what the weather conditions were like, and how fast I was going when I slammed on the brakes!

    I think part of its intentionality. I never take photos with my phone, and I consider my camera primarily a tool of exploration. It doesn’t take me away from the world, but deeper into it. Of course, I don’t come home with hundreds of photos, either — and I often talk to my subjects, even if they’re flowers!

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    1. I am, I have to say, a wee bit jealous of your memory powers. I can remember some remarkable details from the past, but there seems to be a complete randomness to them (I say seems to be, because there must be a reason, and I just don’t know it).

      I think I would almost like to be able to take photos for later use, but with my focus detached, if that makes any sense.

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply
  13. Ellie Carpenter's avatar Ellie Thompson

    Personally, I love your photos, Mick. Apart from the fact that you take a good photo, it could also be because I cannot travel, and therefore, I can see places I could never get to through your eyes or the eye/lens of your camera/phone.

    I used to take photos of everything, especially my grandchildren. Still, I realised that while I’m busy taking pictures (with my phone as I lack a camera), I’m not noticing or paying attention to them and what they are doing or needing. So, I’ve more or less stopped taking lots of photos, whether it be family or nature or something else, because I feel I lose the moment while doing this.

    However, I never go out without my phone, partly for safety reasons, like if I break down in Alfie and need to call the rescue service or I’m running late for an appointment through no cause of my own. I loathe being late for anything and would rather be an hour early than five minutes late.

    I have been known to snap the odd picture as proof of something that needs attention. For instance, I caught a very fit and supple young man jumping into a work van that didn’t have a disabled Blue Badge and was parked on the white line between two bays in a disabled parking bay. I reported him, with the photo of his van and number plate, to the Council and left it with them to take action (or possibly not – I never found out).

    I do take photos of things that are so vast that missing the view for a second doesn’t matter. That’s things like photographing the beach and the blue (or rather brown in the UK) sea. Then, I can still admire the view and sounds and have a photo to look at in the future to remind me where I was.

    I think you have read my recent post, ‘Albums’, about all my mum’s many photos. They are snapshots of things and people I will never see or meet. Mum’s memories, my grandmother’s memories etc. Without these photos, I wouldn’t know much about my past, barring the things Mum and I used to talk about when she was alive. However, it’s a mammoth task, going through them all and deciding which to keep, which to send to my three sisters and which to discard.

    Thanks for sharing your thoughts and the thought-provoking post, which I found very interesting.

    How are you and your family now? I can’t believe my eldest granddaughter will be eighteen in two weeks. Now, that makes me feel old! Other than that, we’re all reasonably fit and well. I’m going down (with a friend) to see my daughter and two granddaughters next Tuesday. It has been nearly a year since I’ve seen them all, so I’m very eager to go.

    Sorry, I seem to have written a dissertation rather than a comment. A bad habit of mine! X

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

    1. Oh, it’s a complex issue, Ellie. I’m certainly not advocating we – or, at least, I – stop taking photos, they’re marvellous reminders of where we’ve been and what we’ve seen and done, as well as important records for others, especially in years to come. I just find it all too easy to stalk around the landscape with a primed camera, searching for the ‘ideal’ shot. And when I’m doing that, I’m not really paying attention to what’s around me other than the particular parts of it I’m hoping to record.

      And I’m really pleased you like the ones I post – it’s naturally the reason I do so! I certainly won’t stop taking them, especially if I get to visit places like India again. They are then excellent reminders of my experiences there.

      And as records, I need look no further than the ones I have from my grandparents’ times, showing me things I couldn’t have known about otherwise. I’m really grateful to have got them.

      And we’re all okay, thanks, Ellie. Although with a twenty one year old grandson we also feel our age! I’ve not been on here much the last couple of months, but I have picked up your health worries. I do hope they’re resolved okay soon. If it’s possible to send you strength and courage, then they’re on their way!

      Liked by 2 people

      Reply
      1. Ellie Carpenter's avatar Ellie Thompson

        I’m so glad you’re not going to stop taking your lovely photos, Mick. I’ve got all my Mum’s and grandmother’s photos, which I need to sort out and distribute equally between myself and my three sisters. There are over 100, as I wrote in my post, ‘Albums’ last week. It’s lovely to look back at previous generations, even though I don’t even know who some of them are. It’s going to be a mammoth task sorting them all out, and dispatching them to Devon, Somerset and Australia!

        I’m so glad you and your family are all well. Your grandson is only a couple of years older than my nearly 18 year old granddaughter. That makes me feel old, too. Where does the time go?

        I’ve missed you posting regularly but understand that life happens and there’s not always time to write.

        Thank you so much for your good wishes for my health, and for the strength and courage, too, which are much appreciated and needed right now. I will let my readers know as soon as I get my results. I’ve been waiting for a month for results that should have taken two weeks! No one seems to be able to trace the letter they sent out to me. Hopefully, I’ll get it after the Easter break, probably Tuesday or Wednesday. I do hope so, anyway. X

        Liked by 1 person

        Reply

        1. There are quite a few of the old photos with folk I don’t know in them, although with the family tree research I have been able to positively identify some of them, and can make a good guess at some others. I’m glad I never got rid of the ones I didn’t recognise! Two of my cousins who are also researching ‘the tree’ have done much the same, so we’ve been able to swap and share old photographs.

          I hope that letter arrives soon!

          Liked by 1 person

          Reply
          1. Ellie Carpenter's avatar Ellie Thompson

            Thanks, Mick. I’ll let my friends and readers know as soon as this letter arrives (if it ever does!).

            I’m not going to get rid of any of Mum’s photos, either. My sister in Australia, has got our main family tree – a bit too far to go to have a look! I think it’s possibly physically too big to copy, too. My granddaughter, 11, is already interested in our family tree, so perhaps she’ll pick up where my sister has left off, when she is old enough. She’s fascinated by it all, which is lovely to see. Have a great Easter Monday tomorrow, Mick. X

            Liked by 1 person

            Reply

  14. It use to be that I could go on a hike without my SLR or mirrorless camera and get lost in nature and the moment. But now if I go out, there is always the iphone, and they can take some incredible photos.

    And what you say is true: capturing a shot of a scene enjoyed never can replicate the actual scene, but it can capture a moment that triggers a nice memory :-). I am getting more choosy about when to pull out a camera, which does allow me more time to just enjoy the moment, but when I do pull the camera out, I get lost behind the lens/phone and can take photos for hours. Cheers to a great week ahead.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    1. Thanks, Randall. Remarkably, I have just got an i-phone, and I’m curious to see how this might affect my photography behaviour. I did think I might take more, but so far it tends to stay in my pocket.

      Like

      Reply

  15. Pingback: To Toss or not to toss – Wanderings Art

Leave a comment

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.