Tuesday, January 29, 2013

We found the rings of Saturn

Planetary
London, ON
July 2012
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Photography gives us the ability to see the ordinary in a decidedly extraordinary way. It forces those of us who are addicted to it to view the world through a rectangle. When I was a kid, it was literally my thumbs and fingers, a ridiculously simplistic means of reducing the world around me to something digestible.

The tools may be a little more sophisticated these days - I date myself when I admit digital photography was a pipe dream when I was a munchkin - but the basic processes haven't changed. That mindset of composing everything in that imaginary (or not so imaginary) rectangle continues to dominate how I choose to see the world.

Strange how that works. And strange how a little trick I picked up as a kid compelled me on this night to pick up the camera and shoot an otherwise forgettable light fixture in this particular way. Maybe I was inspired by ongoing news of the Cassini probe orbiting Saturn (one of the coolest space stories going, btw.) Or maybe I just needed to feel good about life. Whatever it is that makes me take pictures like this, I'm glad the addiction remains strong in me. And in you, too.

Your turn: Can you make a rectangle with your index fingers and thumbs and let us know what you see right now?


2 comments:

Unknown said...

Cool image Carmi!

Pat Tillett said...

Hi Carmi! I totally agree with you. I never go anywhere without at least one camera. I also go back a long ways and my phone now has a better camera, than many I have owned. It is mostly about the vision of the person taking the photo anyway... Take care.
I'm laying flat on the floor and I see a single fan blade against a white painted ceiling. Love your photo...