If I were going to witness the eclipse, I needed to leave the party. There was talk of Spam, twisting grids for contemporary ink paintings, and the crash and retrieval of an extraterrestrial craft just outside Roswell, New Mexico, in 1947. The materials collected from the crash led to night vision, Kevlar, particle beams, transistors, and much of the high-end circuitry we have today, but this is another story. There is change in the air, plans gain traction, and my mind wanders like never before. One door closes, and another opens, even if I can’t yet see the outline through the fog and uncertainty. I’ve decided to put my social hat on for the evening, but as the hours tick by, my battery runs low, and I look for an escape route.
When you have desire and the drive to make and do, there is no time to waste.
One of my favorite photographers, Frank Ockenfels III, makes and does every single day. I’ve seen him do it. Writes, draws, sketches, makes pictures, makes prints, makes books. And he’s a full-time, working photographer with a family. He shouldn’t be able to do this, and yet he does. He knows he’s on a clock. He knows the calendar pages flip by, faster and faster. I feel that same pressure. It’s not bad or negative, but it sure is there. I know some of my other favorite people know this same feeling. The founders, the CEOs, the leaders, innovators, and the most resourceful.
The sky above has fast-moving clouds. The air is still warmer than it should be. I can navigate without additional light. Camera balanced on the adobe wall. Exposure set for daylight. I make a frame or two. Why? Because it’s there. It’s an event. When will I have a chance to see this again? My nephew asks what the white is at the top of the moon. I respond with “Cocaine.” He responds with “Oh, I gotta get up there.” I tell him that most people are ignorant of the fact that the moon is composed of cocaine and bean dip. He is an outdoor kid. He sleeps on the ground and knows how to go days without comforts. And he’s good at math. There is hope for him.
Those of us who connect to the camera: our most important attribute is that we pay attention. We are witnesses. We press the button, we file things away, and sometimes those little squares and rectangles add something to an unknown future. When everyone looks one way, we often look the other. We stay behind, we go ahead, we report back from the edges of the unknown. That’s our responsibility.
Comments 2
Last night the eclipse was behind me, and the drone show and fireworks display was in front of me. Except I turned around to watch the moon quite a bit. Once home (don’t ask about the parking at the fireworks!) the eclipse was still happening. There’s some photos in the camera, but I haven’t looked on screen yet. There’s times to experience a thing for itself, and not through a camera. I’m always looking in the other direction, that way you see what others miss. Whether I can get a photo of it is another story.
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I spent most of my time with binoculars….