“Any photograph has multiple meanings; indeed, to see something in the form of a photograph is to encounter a potential object of fascination. The ultimate wisdom of the photographic image is to say: “There is the surface. Now think-or rather feel, intuit-what is beyond it, what the reality must be like if it looks this way.” Photographs, which cannot themselves explain anything, are inexhaustible invitations to deduction, speculation, and fantasy. “-Susan Sontag, On Photography
I have been spending a lot of time lately going through my photography archives as I work on a new website. Going through old images is such an interesting and therapeutic process for me. I think about how far I’ve come, what I was experiencing and feeling when I made past images, look for common threads that still show up in my current work and search for answers about myself…that’s the philosophy major in me. I always have so many questions about…everything. In a world of constant image indulgence, it can be incredibly challenging to know what work you should make as an artist, what work you should make that both satisfies clients and also your creative spirit. I don’t believe there are any clear answers about that, I think it’s more about exploration, about discovery, about the journey. This is what I deeply love about photography. The strongest images to me are those that make me wonder, make me feel something…those that don’t just put it all out there. Yet, when dealing with expectations from myself and my clients, I find that I crave certainty and clarity about what I should do, about what the magic formula is for self-fulfillment and success. But then I think, what fun would that be? Then I’d have it all figured out and how would I fill up this life? I’ll embrace that delicious uncertainty instead…
This is a self-portrait I made in 2006 on a trip to the Badlands, shot on a Holga…
-emma
Pinterest
