Tete-a-tete

TeteATete, originally uploaded by carolsLittleWorld.

Did you ever talk to a photographer? I mean, really talk to one? Sit down, face to face and have a long discussion?

Most photographers are somewhat introverted-we can actually be kind of shy quiet people. There’s something about hiding behind a lens, the solace of it I guess. But, beyond that, the thing about photographers is that we always see things the way a camera sees them. And that’s sort of interesting because, well, photographers almost never, if left to their own devices, talk about cameras.

I think it goes back to that old quote about how beginners talk about cameras but professionals talk about work. To the photographer, the work is the subject, the camera an instrument. We tend to pick one camera rig and sort of stick with it, focusing instead on the work-a place where we think the focus belongs. It’s much more difficult to do that at times-the rules of composition, the “blur” of the subject-and I’m not just talking shallow depth of field here-to hearken back to another famous quote, “you can’t take sharp photos of blurry concepts.” We’re always processing things mentally and, frankly, it can make us appear a bit scatterbrained. We have to do that though-we have to have a sort of “visual ADD” if you will-always scouring the world, looking, processing, turning ideas over in our heads. That’s what we do, it’s our lot in life. If we handled money, we’d be bankers but we don’t so we’re not, right?

Photographers tend to pick one lens and stick with it and pick one subject and stick with that too. Today’s image reflects that for me-it’s very close to one of my earliest photos. (You can see the earlier photo here. If you were to ask me about it, if you were to ask me to explain my strange fascination with children’s toys against a textured wall softly lit, I’d have to shrug and tell you, “I really don’t know.”

The fascination is there though, it really is. Do you have strange fascinations like that? Is that something I could ask you if only we had our own, personal, tete-a-tete? Strange fascinations and idol gossip are the things legends are made of, aren’t they?

Until next time…