Been a quiet time here in the "industrial park" that is home to the World HQ of Today's Image. With temps in the triple digits, not a lot outdoor happenings. Added to the heat there have been a couple of storms - no power for a few hours - along with a number of downed trees in the area. Much chain saw action.
Time to be inside working. Number of hours reviewing, updating and working on previous captures.
Also time to reflect of exactly what photography provides. For the photographer there are a number of opportunities to spend time -traveling, photographing, processing, editing, and preparation for print and/or web. All worthy actions.
For a viewer, time to review, study, examine and process the meaning of a given photograph or sequence of images. What was the maker attempting? Was it successful? How does it fit in with earlier work and later photographs?
A photographer should be both a maker and a viewer. Hard to do but necessary in order to grow within the medium.
After a few hours, came to the conclusion that the key word/feeling/ belief is NOW. Photography is unable to record the past. Can not photograph the future. All photography can capture is the present - the NOW.
Much of my earlier photographs are of locations, objects and people that don't exist today. They did exist at the time of photographing them, but they are no longer here today.
This NOW is a strength of photography. These earlier image are records of the past - valuable - evidence of what was once. Memories made visible.
This NOW is a weakness of photography. The maker - along with the necessary equipment - had to be there. You can't "call" it in. You - photograper - are there. If not there, then no photograph.
Couple of photographs:
Dunkirk, Indiana.
Once - number of years ago - an active home furnishings retail business. Can't photograph the activity and displays, I wasn't there in 1903. NOW the store is closed and out of business. All I can do is show an image of the empty building and neon sign.
Dunkirk, Indiana.
No idea of the previous uses, but NOW the home of the Dunkirk Police Department.
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