On “all this frustration”

2003-08-30 - 10:44 a.m.

"I am not proud of the distance shown by the pictures."

Patients, old friend. Your Hands and Eyes must learn that which your heart already knows. We as humans spend so much time teaching our minds and hearts to know that we forget that there are other parts of our bodies with intelligences all their own. I’ve been chasing light for ten years, and I’m only sure I got the right photograph a handful of times. I’ve taken lots of pretty pictures and a great many of them I’m proud of but you know what I mean by “right photograph.” Funny that one of them should be of you.

I’m certainly no expert on the subject, but I’ve found that what brings me the most joy in photography is encountering each picture for what it is: its own little being. I think I know what it is when I release the shutter, but I never know for sure what the camera saw until I’m in the darkroom (or make a trip to the photo-mat).

I’m taking up Barthes’ “Camera Lucida“ after I finish the book I’m on now, so perhaps I can come back to this a little more informed.

For what it’s worth though, I like the photographs.

Vaya con Dios.

PS - Thanks for disabling your guest book; I could never have written this in there.