Well, Tim, I can't help what you believe ... for me, there may be deeper reasons for photographing something, but often those reasons don't surface until after the photo is made and I have had a chance to look at it for a while. There may just be something about a scene that appears as it would make a nice pic - the colors involved, a shape or two, a setting, etc. I often don't think about the meaning of a photograph while I'm photographing (at least with inanimate objects, like the fence). Sometimes I do, such as when I made a couple of flag-type photos just after 9/11, but mostly, if I like what I see, I snap the shutter.
OTOH, I'm starting to photograph my friend Meg's home. It's filled with interesting items that reflect who she is and how she feels about a variety of subjects. In this case I am looking for meaning and depth, because i want to be able to portray Meg to the world as I see and know her. She's someone near and dear to me, and I'd like to share that with others - to share her sensitivity, gentleness, kindness, and openness and, in a way, shout out "Hey, look at this great person!" One way to do that is through photographing her personal space, her environment. A nicely colored fence is a nicely colored fence, and as Bill Rob pointed out, it could be a metaphor for the US, but it may just be a painted fence (a cigar may just be a cigar, to paraphrase a paraphrasition). So, you're right in that there may be a deeper reason for photographing the fence, but at the time it wasn't clear to me. More discussion and more thought about it may bring that reason to the surface. Perhaps I'm more deeply patriotic than I think I am, more angry or sad about 9/11 or what's going on in the world these days. For me, photography can be somewhat therapeutic. It allows me to get in touch with feelings that may be obscured by day-to-day events and mundane goings-on. BTW, I once had a girl friend who, during the course of an argument, said to me that deep down I was shallow. I loved it! Shel > [Original Message] > From: Tim Øsleby > Sorry Shallow Shel. But, I don't really believe you ;-) > > There is a reason why you find this subject interesting. At least it is > according to my way of seeing human beings and human behaviour. We have > reasons for (almost) every action we do. But, some times it is hard to see > those motifs or reasons. For me those hidden motifs are interesting. > > On the other hand. I _do_ believe you, when you says that you photographed > just because it is a nice subject ;-) > > Thank you for your open reply Shel. > > What I don't believe is your signature. Shallow Shel sounds cool, but that > is untrue.
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