I'm not exactly sure what you mean. I suspect the same words might mean
different things to different people.
I can see camera as excuse for going somewhere, and/or doing something. That's
certainly true for me sometimes. I would
have seen fewer places and things and done fewer things, without the internal
imperative to get out and take pictures
and the presence of my camera.
I know for some people, the camera, and the need to find subjects seem to get
in the way of actually 'seeing' their
surroundings in some pure way. Maybe they don't get lost in their head as
easily as I do. When I am carrying a camera, I
pay more overall attention to my surroundings, and see more. Much that I see is
not photogenic, at least in my limited
imagination. But I am always looking at everything, even if I am also
performing the, possibly secondary, function of
scanning for photo subjects.
One of my little pleasures is to go walking with other(s) and later show them
images that surprise them with things they
didn't notice at all.
I can also see the camera as an excuse to engage with people. While my motives
for approaching strangers might be
suspect, with a camera, they are clearer. If not rejected, it provides the
basis for interaction.
Clearly, this is only for people with certain personalities, and not useful
with tribal people afraid of having their
souls stolen. ;-)
I saw a video of a supposedly famous old photographer of people. He had started
carrying a small, digital camera around
on the streets of NY. He would stop people and ask if he could take their
picture. Many would say yes, and most of those
became engaged in an interactive process, both by his personality and the
promise of seeing what came out.
Some of the results were quite good, and much, much more emotionally engaging
than anonymous street photography. In that
regard, they remind me of your people photography.
On 1/8/2013 2:59 PM, Tina Manley wrote:
> You absolutely get it. I've never tried to put it in words before, but I
> couldn't do better. The camera is an excuse. Amen.
Did You See That Moose
--
What if the Hokey Pokey *IS* what it's all about?
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