Why do we Photograph?
Tonight while driving up to northern New Hampshire to shoot a video for a project my girlfriend is working on, we got lost. Usually this upsets me; I like to be concise and never go off the beaten path unless I have to go to the bathroom or get gas. But this time was different for a few reasons.
First off, we were driving through New Hampshire while the sun was setting, which was lovely. Second, I am doing a project about New Hampshire, so any aimless driving can only help me find new things to photograph, or inform my ever growing idea of what New Hampshire can be. And last, I came upon something that I needed to photograph. And better than that; I actually brought my camera for once with film loaded in holders! Here’s the story.
We were flying down a random back road, trying to get to our destination in due time because we got lost when I saw a large section of trees cleared out of the forest next to me. There were piles, literally 20 or so piles of trees stacked 20 or 30 feet tall in all directions of the clearing. And right in the center, was some sort of tree cutting facility. The sun was setting, the sky was pink, and the light inside the facility was glowing a florescent green. My heart raced. I turned to my girlfriend and she already knew that we had to stop before I even asked. I pulled over, put together the 4×5, grabbed my meter, film holders, and digital camera for lighting test, and ran across the street with the tripod fully extended. I put the camera down and ripped my sweatshirt off, realizing I forgot my coat (pho-dark cloth) in the car. I stood in the almost freezing weather in a t-shirt with the sun setting, quickly trying to focus the camera without a loop. I had one sheet of film and not a lot of light left, so I quickly made framing decisions, checked the meter, set the camera, and fired a quick test shot on my digital camera. It looked close so I took the 6 second exposure, closed the film holder, grabbed the tripod and we ran back to the car with my backpack laying out in the parking lot on the side of the road. Then it was over. I felt satisfied.
And this brings me to the point of the story, why do I take pictures? Why does anyone take pictures? It isn’t ingrained in our brains like eating or drinking. It is not something that we are taught (unless you take a photo class), or even something that makes sense. But when you want to take a picture you can feel it. It is not work, it is not fun; it becomes necessity for some reason. If you have ever said, “Damn I wish I had my camera right now.” and felt the disapointment of capturing something that you felt deserved it, then you know.
It is in these moments that I still believe in photography and its hold over us. Thank you New Hampshire, for yet again fulfilling my need for photography.