Thursday, July 17, 2014

The one that got away, sort of


So, here we have hard evidence that I don't always get the shot I want. The truth is that I almost never get the shot I want. I get shots I like pretty often, but they're hardly ever exactly what I had in mind. Sometimes, as in this case, they are not remotely what I had in mind, but I like them all the more for that. I love this one. It strikes me as symbolic of the creative process generally: You get an idea, you try to realize it, and then you watch as it goes irretrievably wrong. Once you get through mourning, you salvage what you can and present it as your "work."If you're lucky, you get praise and maybe even some cash. What a racket.

***
Here are a few famous quotes about photography that I've always liked. All of them seem to be contradicted in some degree by the photograph above:

"To photograph is to appropriate the thing photographed. It means putting oneself into a certain relation to the world that feels like knowledge — and, therefore, like power." ~ Susan Sontag

"In fact, every photograph is a fake from start to finish, a purely impersonal, unmanipulated photograph being practically impossible." ~ Edward Steichen

A photograph is a secret about a secret. The more it tells you, the less you know” ~ Diane Arbus




Photo ©2014 Maria Browning

2 comments:

Amy said...

It's still wonderful--different plant textures, nicely centered, one is still and one is moving. And deer look cute from either end. I'm still trying to get the perfect shot of the noisy chipmunks on my windowsill. Even from outside the window, they hear me coming and vamoose.

BitterGrace said...

Thanks, Amy. I guess it's well-nigh impossible to take an ugly photo of a deer. Good luck with your chipmunks. Personally, I would not be above leaving some munchables on the windowsill to distract them.