Sunday, August 13, 2023

Our messy setting Sun

Smudged
London, ON
July 2023
This photo originally shared on Instagram


Humans seem to be fixated on things that are pristine: perfectly clean clothes, classically proportioned faces, absolutely clear skies, that kind of thing.

But a funny thing happens when things get messy, like here, when the clouds and wildfire smoke mix so randomly that it’s hard to figure out what we’re even looking at. What was expected, defined, predictable suddenly becomes a rather different animal.

I almost couldn’t make out the Sun, as it was moving in and out of the atmospheric mess with ridiculous speed. And even when it managed to briefly show itself, it was barely there, a shadow of its typical self.

Yet this is my favourite of the bunch, as I probably couldn’t repeat the moment if I tried. Its imperfection is the absolute point, the reason I’ll remember this one over all others. It stands on its own despite the fact that it fits no preconceived definitions of perfection.

Perhaps I should hold onto this pic and show it to all the awkward-feeling kids who are either left alone - or targeted - because they stand on their own, because they’re blemished by life, because they don’t meet some arbitrary standard set by others.

I was one of them, and they need to know that being supposedly pristine or perfect makes for lousy photos. And people.

Besides, I’d rather hang with the smudgy Suns of the world. They have better stories to tell.

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