“A great photograph is a distillation, a reduction of the chaos of our wider experience to a visually satisfying essence where what is excluded is as important as what is included.” David Ward
I have no clue as to why I took this image almost 10 years ago. It’s lost in time. It could have been my creative voice within or my attempt to duplicate an image I’ve seen before or the mystery it evokes or all the above. Today it makes no difference because I see this image taken almost 10 years ago with my eyes of the present moment. And, how it will speak to me in 10 years from now can only be know then.
So, what do I see now after 10 years? This image popped out to me immediately. I find this image to be very minimal as much of what could be seen is hidden within mystery. It has soft visuals line leading me into that mystery. There is someone standing on the dam seemingly lost in their thoughts, gazing into the mystery and yet there is a serene and peaceful feel to all of this. What it evokes is an awareness of how I feel much more comfort in living with mystery than I did 10 years ago. Enough rambling. Now what are your thoughts?
6 Comments
Earl
Monte, as I offload images I took only a few hours before I often wonder what it was I saw in a particular image. So it’s no wonder the original thought process would be lost over 10 years. I think this type of shotgun photography has become exaggerated with the use of digital media. It cost nothing and there are no consequences to pressing that shutter. On the upside sometimes I’ll see something later that I wasn’t aware of at the moment. That’s one reason I’m a little hesitant to instantly delete even my ‘ho-hum’ images…I keep thinking I might do something with them or see something there later on. Now, of course, I’m also notorious as one who saves boxes and miscellaneous hardware pieces just in case I might need them later. Haha!
However, I do like this image for its simplicity and that it seems to pull you towards an infinite unseen horizon. It leaves lots of “room” for the imagination, which in my book is always a good thing. I hope you had a good weekend. Have a wonderful Mocha for me! 🙂
Monte Stevens
You are hoarder? Nah. I know some photographers keep everything and some cull deeply. I’m more about feeling something within thought I needed to compose and press the shutter. And, 10 years later I’m glad I took this image, whatever compelled me to do so. Have an Awesome Monday!
Earl
Only a minor-league amateur hoarder and the three years of living lite while RV’ing pretty much cured me of even that.
Monte Stevens
All pros start out as amateurs. I know what it’s like to downsize and for me was a good feeling. I have a friend in the process of moving from a 4 bedroom home to a 2 bedroom unit in an over 55 community. May be more than one garage sale.
joe
My first thought on opening this post was that it was a submarine in the fog with a spotlight beaming from the conning tower. It has that particular shape. It’s a beautiful image and I’m glad you rediscovered it.
Monte Stevens
It does have that sort of feel to it but it is a dam at a nearby reservoir. Glad you liked it.