At a loss for words
When "why?" is the hardest question to answer
Why did you take that picture?
The question caught me off guard. Why would I?? I wasn’t entirely sure. It was a genuine question with no ill intention. But I kept thinking about it because it bothered me that I didn’t have a confident answer at the time.
This is the photo that sparked the question:
The more I thought about it, the more questions I had in my head. What’s the point of the distorted reflection? The muted colors? The diagonal lines? It’s not abstract and yet it’s not a traditional architectural image. What moved me to take it?
A bit of backstory
The photo was taken earlier this month, in Chicago. It had been more than 12 years since my last visit and I was excited to see the city with my camera. After a couple of days spent working, I treated myself to an architecture tour on the Chicago river and spent the entire time taking pictures as the boat slowly made its way through the city.
This is one of my favorite images from the trip because it expresses how this quiet introvert felt in a very busy and noisy city. The people, signs, traffic, and noise; there was so much happening everywhere—all at once! Everything was buzzing and distracting. Reality was distorted and it was exhausting. So while I may not have had an answer to the question on the tip of my tongue, the reason I took this picture, and then chose to edit and share it, out of hundreds that I took on this trip, is because it was a way for me to show how the city felt to me.
What’s photography about anyway?
You could say that photography is about representing exactly what the eye sees; the truth of what was happening at a specific moment in time. But when you take into consideration the choices a photographer makes in subject matter, focus, framing, lighting, etc. you start to see that it’s not as subjective as you might think and that a photograph can, through all of the choices made, represent an individual truth from the point of view of the person making the image.
The photos I’m sharing from the trip represent my individual experience and they go beyond depicting the buildings to something deeper and more personal.
Another favorite for a different reason
The image below was taken from the conference room where I was working in Chicago. From the moment I looked out the window I knew I wanted to capture what I saw. I found it fascinating how many lines, layers, time periods, and textures were visible in just one spot.
In spite of the challenges of being in a crowded city, this photo represents the awe I felt taking it all in. Kind of like drinking a cup of delicious strong coffee, you savor and enjoy the taste even though it makes you jittery.
I’m not a city person
You’re shocked, I know. Big cities are too much for me but I do enjoy them in small doses. Chicago has so much to offer and I wish I’d had more time to see more of the architecture. I also have been there three times now and have yet to have the chance to photograph “The Bean” at Millennium Park (this time the surrounding area was under repair).
More of what I saw:
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I love your views of Chicago here in your post. I also, personally, think it is okay to feel the need to capture an image/moment without being able to verbally express the “why”. There is that saying: a picture is worth a thousand words. I think it is okay for an image to speak for itself or, in other words, for a person to express themselves through an image rather than words. Of course studying or finding the reason(s) why one likes various images over others can be an important part of a photographic journey, I also think it is okay to enjoy an image without having to over-explain it. In any case, great post!
I love the compositions you found here. Great images, as always. And I don't think you need a reason why, you take the images that speak to you and that's what matters. 🤷🏻♀️