Eyes That Do Not See
I've been trying to ignore the fact that carrying a camera changes the way one looks at things. It's easy to convince oneself that the presence of a camera does not alter perception unless said camera is made use of, but this is a subtle trap. The option of mechanically (or, I guess more appropriately, digitally) reproducing an image lets one slip into a graphic mode. Spaces and objects that poses very real three dimensional, spatial qualities tend to flatten into opportunities and compositions. It's not that one loses all ability to take in the spatial experience, far from it, but there is always an attention to the picture plane.
Which is precisely why I've become somewhat sick of the always-on, always-available, always-recordable world of bits. I have always carried a notebook and pen but these days I find myself explicitly choosing this combination instead of my trusty Nikon. It's not that I've lost faith in photography, or even that I do not take photographs anymore, but simply I'm tired of having eyes that do not see.
--Posted 01/26/04 03:39PM