The German word “Vorstellung,” can be translated as “representation,” “presentation,” “idea,” or “mental image.”
We all have Ideas or mental images but as a photographer and a creative person some of us take this to a different level on a daily basis. We see things that no one else sees or at least vey few people do. We tend to visualize beyond the basic facade and go deeper into the realm that provokes our mental capacity. This is why I suppose they say that an image begins in our minds and not in what we actually see right before we take that picture, at least for photographers. I can’t count the times I’ve spent attempting to photograph something but just can’t bring myself to press the shutter because I have yet to visualize what I spent hours visualizing in my mind. Many times I do press the shutter and realize I am completely disappointed at what I’ve captured, and then there are times when I spend hours analyzing something I thought of, and find myself wondering if I am making it up or I’ve somehow seen it before.
This image is a perfect example of one of those times when I took the picture after thinking about it for days, mostly nights, only to find out that it did not come out the way I envision it to be. I realized that what I conjured up in my brain was more exciting than what I was able to capture in real life, so Instead of getting rid of the image I turned it upside down and allowed the reflection of the scene take over.
I try to give every image a chance to evolve or develop. Perhaps this is my way of saying everything matters and deserves to live and be recognized. I rarely delete images anymore unless they are totally incorrect of course. Maybe it is because I am getting old and don’t want to see the end of life or anything around me. Who knows!
I’ll end this with what I’ve told many of my students. Every image is a split second of your life and is worthy of some thought. You took the time to create it so try not to be hasty and discard it just because it wasn’t exactly what you had in mind. Develop a database of images, good ones and bad ones so you can, not only see how far you’ve come in your quest and more importantly how you’ve changed your perspective of life and your surroundings.
Capture everyday because every day is a gift.