Camera-less Walking: "A Winters' Seascape"

Of late I seem to have had a lot to say for a 'photography blog'. This week Kat set our class the task of spending time out and about making observations without our cameras. What a challenge to leave the house naked camera-less. It took me two attempts to walk with out my camera. During attempt number one I became distracted by visiting the photographic exhibition, Photos1440 on my city walk. It would be remiss of me not to share this quote with you.
 "There are 1440 minutes in a day. In these minutes photographers capture a moment. These moments make up a day which lasts forever."
Sydney Morning Herald’s photography exhibition Photos 1440 

Now let me tell you about my successful attempt at camera-less walking.  'A Winters' Seascape'.

I breathed in the salty ocean air and relaxed into a walk along the beach to discover, to embark on time with out my camera. Spending time with out the distraction of something to photograph made me realise, that with camera in hand one can be tempted to be so busy looking that you run the risk of  not actually seeing. Turning the camera off, turned my other senses on. For me in particular my sense of hearing was heightened. With no viewfinder to hide behind noises and sounds engulfed me.

As I slowly walked, my path crossed with a parade of mothers, friends, children and surfers, each engrossed in private conversations. It was as if their voices were magnified, the volume turned up. Although the words were being carried to me on loud speaker, I was only able to catch snippets of what they were saying, a few words at the most, out of context and nonsensical. I was intrigued as to the rest of their dialogue, I was driven to know more.

As I continued to cross the paths of strangers, snatching parts of their personal exchanges, I began to ponder this thought....is a photograph like the fragmented words of stolen conversation; in isolation does just one photograph make sense? To answer this question I went back to my inspiration file, as it turned out I did not have to go far, right before me was the set of photographs I had taken of the grandstand for my last post, Goldilocks and 20m line

What I discovered is that because I have a  tendency to photograph detail, some of my images can be snippets of conversation or incomplete phrases. The set of grandstand pictures I took for the recent post illustrate this point well. Each photograph belongs to the series to make a whole story yet each individual photograph (only part of the whole story) can stand alone as a compelling recluse. Each photo in isolation can hold the power of intrigue and mystery, like snippets of conversation.

Winters' Seascape

The above image (snippet of conversation) called "Winters' Seascape" is a perfect illustration of how one photograph can serve two purposes. This image in isolation depicts the windswept sea on a winters day yet it simultaneously belongs to the grandstand story and fits perfectly to complete that set.

If you walk slowly enough you can steal fragments of others' conversations, thoughts and motives. In isolation these unfinished sentences make little sense yet still hold great power; the power of mystery and captivation. So as you cross a stranger's path and listen to snippets of their private conversation, ask yourself this question, do my photographs create a powerful desire to know and want more?

Next time I take the lens cap off my camera I will remind myself to switch all of my senses on.

Maxine xx