I attended a writer’s mini workshop with Lidia Yuknovich,
the amazing and inspiring author of The Chronology of Water. She started her talk with this quote
from Emily Dickinson. She encouraged all of us to tell the truth in our stories,
but tell it from our own unique perspective.
I note this because I’m a storyteller to my deepest core,
and I can only tell my stories the way I see them and the way they leave an
impression on me.
I think I’m bringing the same slant to my photographs of
Silver City and it’s surroundings. Part of it is my view of things and part of
it is the topography and tools I have on hand. To wit: 1) Practically the whole
town is on a tilt. Everything is either on an uphill or a downhill (except when
I walk places – then I swear everything is uphill). So it’s hard to line up a picture where it doesn’t look like
everything is sliding off the shot. But I’m working on it. 2) Just about every picture I
take and post has been with my Motorola Razr M smart phone. I can never quite
remember to take my camera along with me or I don’t have enough pockets for
everything I want to carry.
My friend Bernie in Portland, a gifted and inspiring
photographer, would be spluttering in his coffee at First Cup on SE Woodstock
if he were reading this post. Bernie was my invaluable advisor when I was
selecting photos for the one and only art show I did in Portland. He would nail
my ass all the time because I take pics at an angle rather than straight on,
and it would exasperate him no end. He said it confused the eye. Of course, he
is right, and I’m trying to change the way I shoot, but I guess I will always
tell it slant in my pictures too.
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