Week 52, December 31, 2013
The candle burns shorter, the sand filters through the hourglass, we turn the page on the calendar, and the sun sets on another day and another year. Time passes on, seemingly unstoppable. But is it? As photographers, we possess a special tool with the magic to freeze slices of time and the feelings and memories associated with them.
“To be able to see in concrete terms what was created in a fraction of a second is a rare luxury. Even though fixed in time, a photograph evokes as much feeling as that which comes from music or dance. Whatever the mode – from the snapshot to the decisive moment to multi-media montage – the intent and purpose of photography is to render in visual terms feelings and experiences that often elude the ability of words to describe. In any case, the eyes have it, and the imagination will always soar farther than was expected. - Ralph Gibson - [cited in: Creative Camera December 1972, p. 401]
As I review my 2013 “Project 52” I see not only my growth as a photographer, but the passing of the seasons, the subjects that captured my imagination and the way I used my camera to interpret those. It is nice to look back on this body of work and reflect on the fun it was to create these photos.
"Time will never stand still and those moments that bring us such joy become memories in an instant. To capture such a moment and record it forever is truly monumental. This is why I love photography" - Joshua Atticks - Taken from Lifesessions.com
My next goal is to assemble this Project 52 as a book, something with a bit more permanence than a webpage. Something that maybe others can look at long after I’m gone and perhaps participate in what I saw and felt when I was making the images.
But then as 2014 dawns there are more memories to experience and more photographs to be made.
"Year’s end is neither an end nor a beginning but a going on, with all the wisdom that experience can instill in us. Cheers to a new year and another chance for us to get it right.” —Oprah Winfrey
I hope the experience gained making these photos will give me that photographic vision, skill, and wisdom to make new and even better photos this next year. Yet while the photographs have the power to freeze those past moments of time, time itself does move ahead and there are always new things to see, new memories to be made, new experiences to enjoy and new photographs to be made. Here’s to 2013 and also to 2014!
“Which of my photographs is my favorite? The one I’m going to take tomorrow.” Imogen Cunningham
“To be able to see in concrete terms what was created in a fraction of a second is a rare luxury. Even though fixed in time, a photograph evokes as much feeling as that which comes from music or dance. Whatever the mode – from the snapshot to the decisive moment to multi-media montage – the intent and purpose of photography is to render in visual terms feelings and experiences that often elude the ability of words to describe. In any case, the eyes have it, and the imagination will always soar farther than was expected. - Ralph Gibson - [cited in: Creative Camera December 1972, p. 401]
As I review my 2013 “Project 52” I see not only my growth as a photographer, but the passing of the seasons, the subjects that captured my imagination and the way I used my camera to interpret those. It is nice to look back on this body of work and reflect on the fun it was to create these photos.
"Time will never stand still and those moments that bring us such joy become memories in an instant. To capture such a moment and record it forever is truly monumental. This is why I love photography" - Joshua Atticks - Taken from Lifesessions.com
My next goal is to assemble this Project 52 as a book, something with a bit more permanence than a webpage. Something that maybe others can look at long after I’m gone and perhaps participate in what I saw and felt when I was making the images.
But then as 2014 dawns there are more memories to experience and more photographs to be made.
"Year’s end is neither an end nor a beginning but a going on, with all the wisdom that experience can instill in us. Cheers to a new year and another chance for us to get it right.” —Oprah Winfrey
I hope the experience gained making these photos will give me that photographic vision, skill, and wisdom to make new and even better photos this next year. Yet while the photographs have the power to freeze those past moments of time, time itself does move ahead and there are always new things to see, new memories to be made, new experiences to enjoy and new photographs to be made. Here’s to 2013 and also to 2014!
“Which of my photographs is my favorite? The one I’m going to take tomorrow.” Imogen Cunningham
Below are some other photos I made while working on this last shot for my week 52 post. Click them to view them larger with exposure details.