ON OBSERVATION

(2017 - in progress)

I pause to observe, immersing myself in the details. When I feel the need to delve deeper, I seek a quiet spot, pull out my notebook, and begin to describe what I see and hear, forming a personal connection with each detail.

Often, I'm drawn to something that flickers in my peripheral vision, only to vanish a moment later. Not forever, but only until my mind can retrace that moment.

When I reread my notes, what I wrote, it is easier for me to return to that precise moment...and the image becomes complete, contextualized in a space that existed only for me.

Every little detail sends me back in time and space, making me think about why that image was there. Why did I take that picture? Why at that speed? If I had been in a different state of mind, my picture would have turned out differently. Was I guided by the noises around me? Or perhaps by the absence that surrounded me? Was it sunny or was it cold? Was I in a hurry, or did the passage of time not touch me? How would a person who was not there with me describe a photo of me?

These are some of the questions I found helpful in answering when describing a photograph.