Sometimes an Image
While going through Ann’s images to include in the Sweden Trips gallery on the website, I ran across a couple of images that, in a word, surprised me. Surprised me both in their very graphic nature and in the fact that they are very different from the types of images Ann normally makes. I figured they were worth sharing. Both images have a quality that Ann and I discussed recently about her black and white photograph from our UK trip that we printed (by the way, we had yet another printing session (no glitches fortunately) where we printed that image as large as possible - it’s great!). I’d mentioned that her B&W image set my mind to wandering, almost as if I wanted to create different stories related to the photograph. These images similarly let loose my imagination to run wild, which is a nice quality in a photograph.
The first image was one Ann took while we were crossing from Denmark into Sweden. It’s a long bridge-tunnel-bridge drive between Copenhagen and Malmö that’s pretty cool. I don’t know what led Ann to pick up her camera, but I’m glad she did. I’m not sure if she even wanted it to be as abstract as it is (she might have not realized how long the shutter would stay open given how dark it was compared to how it appears to the eye), but at worst it’s a happy accident. At best, that’s what she intended. Let’s go with the latter.
Ann and I often discuss flaws in an image. Ann hates them as do most photographers. I’ve come to accept them, recognize that most people don’t see the same “flaws” you do, and on occasion have even come to embrace them as adding some character or life to a photograph. Still, I also try to avoid any obvious “flaws.” But think of how many famous images are memorable, however when you look at them closely, you see things like image blur, flare, lack of “correct” focus - the flaws don’t matter. They’re still memorable.
Here, I think the streaking of the lights, the flare rings off to the left, the ever-so-slight blurring (vibrating?) of the lines caused by the moving truck (the bimobil is not what I would call a smooth riding vehicle - it is a TRUCK, so much so that little kids on the street invariably gawk at it). All of that to me adds a dynamic sense of movement to this image.
And of course, there is its graphic nature. It’s visually grabbing and has a sense of energy I’m not sure a “flawless” image would have.
The other image that grabbed my eye is a more along Ann’s normal nature-based lines, but very different than images she usually makes. In fact, it grabbed my attention while in a grid mode (with about 2 dozen other small images around it) on her monitor. I immediately thought, “What is that?” and enlarged the image.
Of course it’s a reflection, once you realize it. But the silvery trees and the blue skies are graphically striking and the grasses laying flat on the surface of the pond add enough texture to disorient you for just a moment. I just found it to be a striking image!
For me, photography isn’t just about making images, it’s also about enjoying the process of discovery the camera allows, of seeing things in new and different ways. A photograph doesn’t have to be a stunning image of a grand landscape to be compelling. Sometimes all it needs to do is to rattle your brains a bit, to get you thinking, feeling. That’s more than enough. All I can say is I hope Ann keeps it up and lets us see the results!