Photography is selective vision. It's a slice of the world in a split second. One scene can be photographed at least ten different ways, but often the most successful image is the angle that cuts out the trash can in the background, and precisely crops out the distracting truck, building, or person so that the eye is tricked to focus on what the photographer wants you to see. It's about capturing the most unusual angle that challenges the way that we normally perceive an object- uncovering beauty where you least expect it.
These lessons are simple in concept, but takes tremendous practice. It's about having the right perspective and patience that lets you see perfection, even if it's just for a second.
Much of this can also be said about our view of each other in the world. After your first love and first heartbreak, you understand how imperfect, how human we are- how beautiful and how ugly the same person can be. You may not realize it right away but eventually, there will be point when you can appreciate finding beauty in selective shots and stop irrationally looking for perfection everywhere. Everything is transient, and everyone, even the most stubborn, is an unintentional passenger of change.
In photography, you can capture change. Lower the shutterspeed, and you can hear the shutter swing open and closed. It's amazing how that mechanical process lets reality seep in. Turn the dial to one sixtieth, one thirteieth, one half, one second, one point five seconds. In photography, 1.5 seconds is an eternity. If a car has driven past you, it will show up as a blurry streak across the frame. A person crossing the street is now a ghost. And although unlikely, even if nothing in your frame has moved, you'll capture a blurry object because it's your hand that has shook slightly in those 1.5 seconds. Nothing is constant.
I imagine relationships are a lot like these shots.
Varying in length, a lot of them can seem perfect for a split second. But keep the shutter open a little longer, and another person can show up in the periphery, another object can obstruct your view. Your focus can shift, or your subject can steer out of the frame without you even noticing it.
The perfect relationship is the perfect long exposure. No matter what the distractions, you can always adjust yourself, find a different angle and you and your subject never lose focus.
The concept is simple, but we always need a little extra practice.
"Homeless" by vjsuave from vjsuave on Vimeo.
http://www.thecreatorsproject.com/blog/love-story-unfolds-on-city-streets-with-the-help-of-moving-projections
great post. i like your comparison of shutter speed vs. glimpses of a relationship. what about focal length and selective focus? i tend to walk around with a wide angle and shoot with a high f stop these days. shh...don't judge.
ReplyDeletewhat a photo nerd. putting my intro skills to play, does that mean a sharp macro view with no real subject focus??
ReplyDeleteI posted this on my xanga and some guy commented... if only girls had auto-photoshop. grrr
Never really thought about it that way, but this makes a lot of sense. I really enjoyed this post!
ReplyDeletehaha yup, that's a good take. wide angle for bigger perspective and sharp all around focus on everything, with no real subject. maybe i'm too focused on the bigger picture and not the finer details that a low f stop would hone in on. but wisdom & experience tells us to look at the bigger picture & not on what is just in front of us.
ReplyDeleteyou still have xanga?! 2eprops!