Garth Wood wrote:
> Freakin' cold today in Calgary -- +5 Celsius (41 Fahrenheit) with a
> strong, dry wind that goes right through you.
>
> Wandered around the neighbourhood with the E-3, looking for simple
> targets to answer some of my questions. Observations (not all
> completely on topic):
>
> 1. Suburban environments at this time of year are surprisingly ugly.
> Huddled against the cold, I was uninspired to point my camera at almost
> anything, but what the Hell, I did, though none of the images are
> anything to write home about. Mebbe I'll try the Inglewood Bird
> Sanctuary or Fish Creek Provincial Park tomorrow. ...
Garth, having spent quite some time wandering around Sydney city and its
inner-suburban streets, I have some experience with the difficulty of
inspiration. Trying to find stuff that isn't already on a postcard in a
nearby newsagent often seems to only leave a significant sprawl of the
"surprisingly ugly".
This required me, on a photographic expedition, to change my mind, or at
least the part of it that controlled my 'Hey, that's interesting to look
at" impulse. This meant, as per my unconstructed web-gallery frontpage
'bio', that I began "finding interest in the boring details". I should
warn you that my description goes on to say that these "things that have
interested me over the years will also be found boring by others", but I
can still look at some of those photos and say "I like that" without
really understanding why - a roadwork "witch's hat" against a wall; the
old & moldy soccer ball in the backyard; the "bleeding" of a drain in a
back lane; odd rubbish dumped in a gutter.
A friend, describing something else, put it much more "intellectually"
(she's a sly one, so her irony-metre may have been doing some subtle
tweaking ;-) ) by saying:
"A small person with a modicum of intelligence may attend to the
minutiae of quotidian life and, by so doing, elevate the mundane
to the level of the sublime."
(Note, the "small person" may be herself and/or me, and may strictly
refer to our stature or lack thereof; the "modicum" may also be
self-deprecating, again the implied "we" of comradeship. Regardless, I
do enjoy the aphorism, and that I am included amongst her friends.)
It doesn't always work (for me sometimes, and, as mentioned, possibly at
all times for viewers of my resultant photos. I'll have to get some up
on my gallery) but there is a definite state of mind in which, at least
during that day's photographic expedition, I feel happy; happy that I'm
actually *doing* rewarding, acceptable (to me) photography.
Anyway, the point is that the "quotidian" can hide directly behind
itself some (grungy? pastel? vivid? ironic? farcical?) compositions, and
if you accept this as a truth (even if it isn't ;-) ), then your limited
opportunities for photography are less likely to be further limited by
bad weather or a "boring" environment.
At least, that is my limited experience. Of course, as is implicit in
the above through my "boring" comments, the limit of this experience may
only allow this particular point of view to extend to the limits of my
own private universe. That is, it floats my boat, but it might not float
yours. <g>
Cheers,
Marc (expounding from a solid base of subjectivity and inexperience)
Noosa Heads, Oz
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