The Online Photographer cited this article by Bill Jay about the nature of the subject in photography:
I thought it was a thoughtful essay. More to the point, it made me think of the last hundred days or so when I had been shooting every day. Obviously, this kind of regiment requires looking for subjects all the time. I actually do that all the time, but I have made myself carry a camera so I can take the photograph when I see the image. I’ve realized by looking at the photographs I have created is that what interests me are the details of life and the world. The thing that sits in one place day in and day out, serving it’s role in the order of things whether it is noticed or not. Oddly enough, these details do not often include people. It is the piece of wood that supports a structure the people use. The part of a machine serving it purpose until it breaks and rusts away. Especially, the ways of plants that move through life so much more slowly than we do but still perform the dance of life. Anyway, give it read and let us know your thoughts.
I thought it was a thoughtful essay. More to the point, it made me think of the last hundred days or so when I had been shooting every day. Obviously, this kind of regiment requires looking for subjects all the time. I actually do that all the time, but I have made myself carry a camera so I can take the photograph when I see the image. I’ve realized by looking at the photographs I have created is that what interests me are the details of life and the world. The thing that sits in one place day in and day out, serving it’s role in the order of things whether it is noticed or not. Oddly enough, these details do not often include people. It is the piece of wood that supports a structure the people use. The part of a machine serving it purpose until it breaks and rusts away. Especially, the ways of plants that move through life so much more slowly than we do but still perform the dance of life. Anyway, give it read and let us know your thoughts.
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