The Backstory:
Last week I was invited to a sneak peek of the National Geographic’s Terra Cotta Warriors Exhibit. Yeah, it was cool. Equally, if not more amazing however, were all of the photographers – the photon jockeys – dancing with light and color, playing freeze tag with all those invisible little photons. It was baffling.
And I’ve been thinking about photographers ever since.
The Questions:
How do photographers tell a story? Or are they even trying to tell a story? How do they explore a subject? More importantly, how do they convey what they find? Is this discovery meant to be “captured” or “framed” for the benefit of another person’s curiosity?
Questions, questions, questions. Damn you curiosity!
The Set Up:
Photon jockeys manipulate light like I manipulate words. Their shutter speed is my see-saw of syllabic silliness. Their aperture is my metaphorical clarity. Their imagine stabilization function is my spell check. But there is one thing that we both have in common – perspective. Sort of.
The Perspective Junkie Roars:
Whatever their camera of choice, photographers fearlessly jump into an uncertain world of molecular chaos and with one simple click, they isolate and freeze perspective. Sure, they may have rearranged the lighting or the tripod to shift perspective, but one thing is certain. Heisenberg’s uncertainty principle! And that the receipt of this perspective – a print, a photo, a digital image – is truly unique and will never again be captured. (( Copyright laws aside, it can be endlessly replicated ))
The Conclusion:
My words are rodeo clowns. They will never capture and control perspective. But hey, that’s not my game.
Who are some of your favorite photon jockeys?
Well, me, of course. I’m my favorite photographer.
Actually, when I was a reporter, I worked with some really great shooters. One of my favorites was the assistant photo editor at one of my papers in Texas. We’d go out to do a story together and I’d never have to worry about the pictures, Dave just knew exactly what to get. Also, when I’d be interviewing someone, he’d chime in with a question or two I may not have thought of, making the story even better.
Another is this guy http://crystalcoastimages.com/ who I worked with in North Carolina. A retired Marine master sergeant, he picked up a camera after hanging up the Dress Blues and still amazes me to this day with his eye for detail.
Foggy Dew´s last blog ..Frozen in Time
Ha! That’s confidence.
Regarding that photo editor, it’s that ability to intuitively capture an image for a specific purpose that I find amazing. What goes through a person’s mind when that happens?
Thanks for the link… off to check it out.