One of the greatest pleasures in life is viewing life through the Lens. Now, I’m not talking
about your grandfather's bifocals or your mother’s reading glasses. I’m talking about a
camera lens. Though a delicate object, the lens, has incredible powers that depict life in a way that the human eye would never be able to by itself. Why would anyone want to load a roll of
old-fashioned 35mm black and white film, lift that chunky 35mm camera, pull it up to their face,
turn the knobs put it in focus, squint through the tiny peephole, risking eye strains, only to take in
a lousy 1/60 of a second? Well, the moment its user snaps the shutter button, releasing the
wonderful click sound, that 1/60 of a second is captured forever.
As with life, viewing the world through the Lens doesn’t always give you a straight-shot
path. What you think you are taking a picture of isn’t necessarily what comes out in the final
product. The image revealed when the film is developed could possibly be more interesting or
less perfect that what you had originally expected. Other times, you will notice evidence that
your camera wasn’t totally in focus, specks of dust, or scratches- all signs that your masterpiece
is less than flawless. Although the exposure cannot be altered after being developed, you always
have the choice to give up photography as a whole or try again at your next shoot, but maybe
next time, clear your lens of any debris bit before taking the exposure.
The Lens also tends to take one to places he or she would have never fathomed, that is
literally and figuratively speaking. As the late photographer Diane Arbus once said, "I tend to
think of the act of photographing, generally speaking, as an adventure. My favorite thing is to go
where I’ve never been."
One time I had one of those experiences, myself with photography. Fearful of
creepy-crawly bugs and stepping in animal scat, I am typically not a nature person. But just this once I decided to take an expedition, leading me though Sylvia's world to spend an autumn afternoon partaking in my favorite type of hunting- that is hunting through the Lens. I entered the forest, the chirp-tweet-whistle bird music echoing everywhere. The crickle-crackle of leaves sounded beneath my feet. Greens and browns and oranges surrounded me, creating a perfect dome to host the hunt. I raised the camera to take my shot. Stealing 1/60 of a second was just enough to secure a shot a bird, leaves, decaying matter. That moment was like taking a screenshot from life, storing it in art’s time machine.
Upon viewing my newly developed photos for the first time, I came to realize that the images of the still-life, not the animal life were the most thrilling. Look at the veins on that leaf. I thought to myself. Wow, that texture of the tree bark is so complex. The black and white contrast really brings out the different markings. How could this be? I guess the Lens has this magic ability to allow its user to zoom in on life and appreciate the subtle beauty of nature.
Next time you’re craving a new view, why don’t you try life through the Lens?