Friday Musings: Behind the images.
Maybe a pretty person makes a pretty photo. Maybe the outfit or the hair or the colors makes the photo appealing. At first.
In the initial glance at an image, what do you see.
Perhaps there are fun props, quirky poses, something beautiful. Maybe you don’t know why you like the photo. You just do. I’m not really one for fuss. I don’t really like using a lot of props or things in photographs. I like spirit. I thrive on emotion. I love seeing behind the image, what is really in that photo. Because really, there isn’t much chance in any single moment of seeing nothing in life. If you are seeing nothing… it is my humble opinion that you are missing a whole lot.
There is substance in everything. There is a story everywhere, in everything. In every molecule, every moment, there was something before it. Or some path that lead it to right now. You have a story, and many of them. I may not know what it is when I first set out to photograph you, but I’ll see it somewhere along the process. Or I’d like to think that its possible to catch a glimpse of your story in your eyes, in your silence, in your movements on your own and then how you move with your man/lady/child/mother/sister. We are all full of tightly woven sinews, all connecting us together inside ourselves as well as those stories fusing every single one of us all in a closely knit and intricate labyrinth.
I am somehow connected to you. Right now, you reading my watery words… me typing them from my laptop, feet up, reclined… baby wiggling away inside my belly. Listening to nothing but the wind howl through our fireplace, I contemplate what’s behind an image. You, wherever you are, which ever screen you are perched at in whatever part of the world. Reading these words. Maybe there are ten of you. Maybe only one. But somehow, something has brought us together. Be it only in the vast world of cyberspace, for this moment. Our stories have met.
When I look back at a few of these photos from the past, I see what I saw in that moment. In whatever fleeting moment was occuring, I am right back there. What I find most interesting, is to wonder.. what you see? Is it different from what stories I see, or feel or wish to feel. Do you see behind the image? Or is it just a nice photo. Is there anything compelling about it to you? What is it? I’ll likely never know. But I will leave you with a few of the images that I truly love. Mainly because of what lies behind the photo. Maybe you see it too?
Tags: comox valley photographer, erin wallis, Photo blog, photographer blog, photography, photography blog, photos, vancouver island photography
February 6th, 2010 at 10:26 am
When I look at your photos the first thing I always see is all the emotion and love between the people in them!
I then see everything else. You are amazing, your work is amazing, the people you photograph are amazing! It all keeps me coming back for more!
February 7th, 2010 at 9:23 am
oh my gosh, you so inspire me! in so many ways!
February 9th, 2010 at 9:58 am
Erin, I have been a fan for a long time, but have never commented. Thank you for your beautiful post. So many visit and feel the emotion you capture when you shoot. It’s beautiful. The way you write makes people feel like they know you… I would love to get together for tea sometime and chat.
You are inspiring… thank you! (and congrats on your pregnancy… how exciting!)
February 10th, 2010 at 3:02 am
Erin, your positivity is contagious. Reading your blog is part of my Sunday morning coffee routine. Along with 1000awesomethings .com…
Thanks for sharing so much of yourself with strangers!! 
April 26th, 2010 at 7:36 am
i love photo blogs, there is a saying that a picture speaks a thousand words and this saying is also true for blogs that mostly displays photos.