I was not present in the moment when the leaf came to rest on some shallow rocks at the creek's edge. When I arrived the only movement was the water passing by. The leaf was beached. It was going to take a rainstorm or a good breeze to get it moving again. So I snapped this moment and continued on my walk.
In the moment of taking the picture, which is a different moment than the camera portrays, I was drawn by the color enhanced by the dampness. Ooooo red! Once I had removed the image from the time in the forest with all that went with that, sound of water, birds, smell of the damp woods, etc…I had the imagery of the photo. Now this is no amazing photo. It is just a leaf in the water with a nice shot of morning sun on it. It is, however, my capture: a fragment from a day in my life. So it is good with me.
So now I’ll make a list of what I see or feel from the photo. Why? Because that is what I just thought of doing. And I’m going with that. Now I could re-think this and say what a big waste of time. Making a list of what you feel from a photo. No don’t think about it, just do it. I’ll need to do a blog on the danger of rethinking.
· There is the water, once carrying the leaf now it is hung up on the rock. Parallel to life carrying us along until something hangs us up. I get hung up. So I identify with the leaf at this moment. In this moment nature becomes a mirror to me.
· Another perspective the leaf is not hung up but resting. This implies the leaf thought of resting and steered itself on to the rocks. Thinking leaves are dangerous. They’re the ones who get together and damn up storm drains.
· The leaf reminds me of my childhood toy fire truck with its rust spots after sitting in the backyard for 6 years. Still have it.
· This brings me to the aging thing, with all the new spots I find every day, I feel like an old leaf being pulled farther and father down stream. I want to find some rocks and just stay in one place for a while. Is a while bigger than a moment or are they the same thing.
· I like the blue sky reflected in the water and I think you can make out the tree canopy as well. Look into that space long enough you’ll see more images
I have no idea where this is going I could go on with the list or pull elements from the list. Just a few elements are the “hang ups”; in creativity I get stuck all the time. There is the “nature as mirror” a favorite of mine. I think this is why I like the cameras (Video and still) I am not so much taking pictures to remember the events of my life, but to have these moments to observe again and again to see if I missed the chance to be as alive as I could have been in the moment. There is a danger in spending so much energy taking pictures. I have been places where I realize I saw the place and time only through the camera and forgotten all the other senses.
What’s happening now is I have so many thoughts leading me to other thoughts. I’ll just put one down and save the others for another time. Hope this makes sense. I’m just going with the creative process. Below are my quick thoughts, might be a song here or I’ll just leave it to be.
Caught
Caught by the rocks in the shallow water
I am missing the movement
But not enough to push free, if I could
I will remember the time
Twisting in the wind
Back up in the canopy
Below the blue sky
My purpose was clear then
It is not so now
I will wait
For the water to rise
Jeffrey, another time!
In the moment of taking the picture, which is a different moment than the camera portrays, I was drawn by the color enhanced by the dampness. Ooooo red! Once I had removed the image from the time in the forest with all that went with that, sound of water, birds, smell of the damp woods, etc…I had the imagery of the photo. Now this is no amazing photo. It is just a leaf in the water with a nice shot of morning sun on it. It is, however, my capture: a fragment from a day in my life. So it is good with me.
So now I’ll make a list of what I see or feel from the photo. Why? Because that is what I just thought of doing. And I’m going with that. Now I could re-think this and say what a big waste of time. Making a list of what you feel from a photo. No don’t think about it, just do it. I’ll need to do a blog on the danger of rethinking.
· There is the water, once carrying the leaf now it is hung up on the rock. Parallel to life carrying us along until something hangs us up. I get hung up. So I identify with the leaf at this moment. In this moment nature becomes a mirror to me.
· Another perspective the leaf is not hung up but resting. This implies the leaf thought of resting and steered itself on to the rocks. Thinking leaves are dangerous. They’re the ones who get together and damn up storm drains.
· The leaf reminds me of my childhood toy fire truck with its rust spots after sitting in the backyard for 6 years. Still have it.
· This brings me to the aging thing, with all the new spots I find every day, I feel like an old leaf being pulled farther and father down stream. I want to find some rocks and just stay in one place for a while. Is a while bigger than a moment or are they the same thing.
· I like the blue sky reflected in the water and I think you can make out the tree canopy as well. Look into that space long enough you’ll see more images
I have no idea where this is going I could go on with the list or pull elements from the list. Just a few elements are the “hang ups”; in creativity I get stuck all the time. There is the “nature as mirror” a favorite of mine. I think this is why I like the cameras (Video and still) I am not so much taking pictures to remember the events of my life, but to have these moments to observe again and again to see if I missed the chance to be as alive as I could have been in the moment. There is a danger in spending so much energy taking pictures. I have been places where I realize I saw the place and time only through the camera and forgotten all the other senses.
What’s happening now is I have so many thoughts leading me to other thoughts. I’ll just put one down and save the others for another time. Hope this makes sense. I’m just going with the creative process. Below are my quick thoughts, might be a song here or I’ll just leave it to be.
Caught
Caught by the rocks in the shallow water
I am missing the movement
But not enough to push free, if I could
I will remember the time
Twisting in the wind
Back up in the canopy
Below the blue sky
My purpose was clear then
It is not so now
I will wait
For the water to rise
Jeffrey, another time!
This link will take you to the album the photo is from on my website.
No comments:
Post a Comment