February 24, 2013

• Musings on Shooting

  There is no doubt about it: I have taken too many photographs in my lifetime. After working diligently scanning negatives for most of a month, I finally made my way through the box I kept upstairs and was able to go to the basement and take on the two big boxes I have stored down there. Except I didn’t, because I found a third large box, dragged those upstairs and began working on them.

  Several things worried me when I took on this project. There are five siblings in my family, two of whom have children. I took considerably more pictures of my sister’s children than I took of my brother’s. I felt this inequity might weigh on the project. Probably not. I have more pictures of my brother’s kids than exist of–for example–me at comparable ages. Lance may cringe at the sight of a camera lens, but ‘Becca is well represented. I have everything but the photograph she asked for, of her on Grampa’s boat. But we are barely through our first box, so…

  The only volume control I apparently had was forty year-old eyes: I stopped taking pictures for a while in my forties because they were all coming back unfocused. And then, of course, I changed my glasses…

  Has this slowed me down?

  

  Riley and I went to the dog park yesterday so he could run and this where we reconnected with our friend Ruby. As you can see, Ruby is not a large dog, but she is fearless and she fully enjoys her romps at the park. 

  

  This is Ruby’s co-dog, Sam. Because he is a black dog he is more of a challenge to photograph. This picture is pretty much a silhouette. He’s no bigger than Ruby, scruffy, bouncy.

  So yes: I took a break from scanning to go to the dog park and take pictures of someone else’s dog. I know Ruby’s human companion by sight. I’m not sure I know his name…

  Prior to about three years ago I was far more prone to photographing other people’s cats. or my own. Other frequent subjects of mine: sandhill cranes and South Haven.

  And bad photographs: I have a boatload of BAD photographs. My artistic technique was apparently ‘just keep shooting’, kind of like a monkey at a typewriter eventually banging out Shakespeare. Time, persistence, and judicious editing.  

  On the other hand, I can remember which bed room I slept in in the ski lodge in Barothy last year. Probably because I have 3-7 pictures of it somewhere.

  What we can’t remember we can always photograph. 

   

  • 12:57 pm
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