A picture not taken

[zuiko85]

Yeah, more now than when I was younger. I'd be busy trying to get a beautiful sunset or rainbow or whatever and the missus would be elbowing me. "Your missing it! Can't you just enjoy it with your eyes and your memory?"
She was right of course, most, (that means about 100%) of my efforts failed.
Oh well, I'm a little, but just a little, wiser now.

 

[oculus]

One of the many powers of a photograph is its being able to communicate a memory. Without getting into endless hermeneutical questions, I might say simply that what the lens sees at that fraction of a second makes a moment stand still in a way in which our memories do not stand still. All things are in flux, said the ancients. Well, our memory of a moment may remain the same, but surely we ourselves change and as we revisit a photograph we see sometimes how we've changed. The photograph (as any revisited text; but especially the photograph, I think) is frozen and preserved and, counterintuitively perhaps, is a standard by which we discern our own flux.

 

[charjohncarter]

Dear John,

The whole idea of ego building may provoke another piece. Thanks!

Cheers,

R.

That is why I keep taking photos, best wishes to you and Frances. You got me to read my favorite technical book again 'Perfect Exposure.'

 

[jsrockit]

Indeed. But photography is not the only art. And sometimes, "art" is not worth the film it's recorded on.

I understand... I was just saying why I photograph personally is for trying to make art and because it helps my mental health. It wasn't a pretentious statement at all... but more a long the lines of that I choose to experience when I'm not with my camera and when I have my camera its because I'm trying to work on my projects.

 

[Bill Clark]

I must have quite a few pictures not taken as I have a lot of unexposed film here!

 

[Keith]

Here's one I didn't take about four months ago:































🙂

 

[Sumarongi]

How often have you seen something that would make a meaningful photograph, at least to you, and then consciously decided not to take it, because the memory would be worth more than the photograph? Or (perhaps) because you weren't sure you could get the picture you really wanted?

Often! E.g., when I was attending postmortem examinations as a student -- the professors admitted only certain students taking photographs (I was one of them), nevertheless I took none. Reason: It would have felt pornographic, in a sense.

 

[grouchos_tash]

I regret not taking as many pictures of my family and life in general when I was in my teens/twenties. I try to take pictures of the day to day of my life as it is now as a archive for the future. I love looking back at old photos and if I don't take any then I can't do that! Whether they're good photos or not doesn't have much to do with it I suppose.

I decided recently that unlike many people my age and younger, I don't have many pictures of myself, my parents haven't taken photos since they got a digital camera as they all just sit on a the camera never to be seen again anyway. I've decided to start a self portrait project 🙂

 

[Bike Tourist]

Or, speeding by a promising scene in your car because you were in a hurry to get to your destination. Then, damn! Why didn't I stop to get that? It'll never be the same again.

 

[farlymac]

There have been many times I've lined up a shot, only to realize there is no way the camera, in its two dimensional way, could ever capture just what I was experiencing at that moment. The warmth of the sun as it breaks through a crack in the clouds. The chill in the air, or the fragrant smells of Spring. That light breeze, or brisk wind. The sound of trees creaking in the wind, or peepers in the early evening.

The camera may enable me to reconstruct those memories in the image it captures, but can it convey to the random viewer the same feelings? I think not. You only get an indication of certain conditions, but never the whole experience. One can surmise by what they see in the image, and build in their own minds what it might have been like for the photographer, but they can never reconstruct the scene as completely as the person who took the photo.

It's when such a realization creeps into my thoughts that I just lower the camera, and let it all sink in. And hope my memory doesn't fade away too soon.

PF

 

[charjohncarter]

Or, speeding by a promising scene in your car because you were in a hurry to get to your destination. Then, damn! Why didn't I stop to get that? It'll never be the same again.

That is me too. I drive by your neighborhood a lot (I-5), I always want to go to those valley towns. I did once and it was great, have to do it again.

 

[mich rassena]

I'm not sure why people assume that photography diminishes one's experience or corrupts it. I've found the photos I've taken, even of the most basic things, to be as evocative as smells or songs. Whole periods of my life would be lost without the photographs acting as a catalyst.

I've found photography aids in the act of observation. The focus it requires allows me to savor the moment as I experience it, and is a snapshot of my mental landscape as well as the literal landscape.

Oculus said it better upthread...

 

[Roger Hicks]

I'm not sure why people assume that photography diminishes one's experience or corrupts it. I've found the photos I've taken, even of the most basic things, to be as evocative as smells or songs. Whole periods of my life would be lost without the photographs acting as a catalyst.

I've found photography aids in the act of observation. The focus it requires allows me to savor the moment as I experience it, and is a snapshot of my mental landscape as well as the literal landscape.

Oculus said it better upthread...

Dear Mich,

This is often true, but I was surprised by the extent to which a photograph not taken -- or at least, not recorded with a camera -- could go beyond observation into reflection.

I wonder how many of those responding to this thread read the essay.

Cheers,

R.

 

[ptpdprinter]

I wonder how many of those responding to this thread read the essay.

I didn't read your article, particularly now that you have monetized your website through Paetreon.

 

[KenR]

No photos, no memories

No photos, no memories

I went to Rocky Mountain National Park some years ago and on the first day my camera broke. I was rather angry and upset for the rest of the trip that I didn't have a camera to photograph the amazing scenery. That it all I remember of the trip, I do not recall any of the actual hikes that I did or places that I saw. I am not sure whether it was not having a viewfinder to look through or my frustration at not having a camera to use that caused this memory washout. But it real and almost total.

 

[helen.HH]

we have all done it...

A picture not taken
A word not spoken
A deed not done

 

[johnf04]

I didn't read your article, particularly now that you have monetized your website through Paetreon.

This particular article is free.

 

[Tim Murphy]

More times than I care to remember Roger

More times than I care to remember Roger

Dear Roger,

I enjoy photography, but I am not a photographer. And I am most certainly not an artist.

I shoot wildlife and nature almost exclusively. When called upon I can do a satisfactory job of recording a family event and even get some candid shots that draw praise from even most critical family members.

Given my photographic preferences it's easy to see why I don't always shoot even when ready. To me the just seeing what I saw counts for so much. I do try on occasion and I do sometimes succeed.

It all boils down to this to me, getting outside and seeing the beauty of nature at work does the job for me. If I stumble upon something worthwhile when I have a camera in hand I accept it as the bonus that it truly is.

Regards,

Tim Murphy

Harrisburg, PA 🙂

 

[Contarama]

When I first started the hobby I snapped away at everything all the time. Now not so much. I see differently now? Interesting topic. It also reminds me of that line in The Secret Life of Walter Mitty with Sean Penn.

 

[farlymac]

Went back and read the article, Roger. I'd meant to the first time, but thought I had correctly surmised your meaning from what you posted here.

I wasn't even close, but then my memory is not as good as yours.

Nor did I have as many girlfriends.

PF