 Author Intrusion: My Beautiful Reward Cliff Fazzolari, author of House of Miracles, writes "If someone were to ask me about how to live a successful writing life, I suppose that I would have to say that there is a lot to endure..." Read More Falklore Tyler Oaks on the Move: The Write Mind: |
Tyler Oaks on the Move: The Camera Dilemma
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After a trip to India a friend told me about the one photo he did not get to take. One day in Mumbai, waste and litter lining the street, the polluted air intensified by the near 100 degree heat, he spotted a large, rusty tow truck. Though its tires were rotted out, the metal frame of the old truck supported two creaky chain swing sets. It was there that children laughed and played on the converted machine, lost in their fun in the middle of the city. When my friend described this untaken picture to me, it somehow became more real to me than the pictures of his trip that I actually got to see. I think he’ll remember that scene longer and more vividly than any of the others where he had his camera out.
I then started to remember all the pictures I never got to take because I was too busy living the experience to stop and click. It begs the question: Are the pictures that end up holding the most meaning those that we take with our minds alone? I was inundated with memories, remembering the times over the years that I had stared until an image became imprinted within me. Without a camera, senses other than sight take hold: crimson petals on the sand, deep blue eyes so easy to get lost in, piles of shoes at the door. The shadow of an oak on crushed gravel in my mind has the power to lead me beyond the obvious, taking me somewhere entirely different than a two dimensional 4x6. The photos in our mind lead us to faraway worlds that live inside of us that no technology can capture.
Physical photographs, both taken and developed, adorn my world, and I rely on them to trigger memories. Let’s take the pictures, especially during travel lest we forget, but only after studying and living it first. This means experiencing the moment; not just recording it. Allow the impression to come first-hand, and let the snapshot become a souvenir; not the main event. As writers, we must be touched in person. The most frame-friendly shots are not often where inspiration is found. Beauty may be harbored there; however, the thrill of the perfect scene may not necessarily be the most fascinating. Slant the shot away from the obvious. Skew the angle to the right or to the left down a side street and let your mind loose. What you discover there may not be as striking, but it will be much more interesting.
So often we are posing when we take pictures. Even buildings and landscapes can model. Certain angles give the illusion of a perfection that is not really there. Candid shots reveal the unexpected, intriguing angles we may have never contemplated before. As writers, that is what we must seek out.
There is always a camera in my purse, especially when I travel. I treasure my albums because the photos bring back to life details I have forgotten, and yes, they would be on the top of the list of my belongings I would rescue in the fire scenario. It’s just that I’ve learned that no other lenses but those of my eyes record memories that are so utterly vivid and breathed into with that first-hand contact. When I walk through life camera-free I find myself making up stories in my head while simultaneously real life stories are happening to me. I become real, and no scene gets lost in whether the lighting is right or not. I want to live more of those moments as I travel and write, sometimes with no camera, not even a pen; just myself and the sight. Only then can the impression of my eyes wrap itself so tight around the image that it morphs itself into something I cannot only see, but touch, taste and feel.
