photographic memories

three weeks ago i was being bounced around by the waves breaking against the hull of a rented speed boat.  while walking around sydney hunting for belgium beer and australian wine i thought we needed to see things from a different angle.  i was standing in the same place i had stood before, i was getting the same photos i had gotten before.  what i needed was to be in a new place and to see things from a new angle.

i looked over and saw a guy with a boat.  snap decision, quick negotiation of the price, and corralling my companions and we were water-bourn.  the guide was an interesting character, not uncommon for someone providing service to tourists.  the difference from other recent trips was that he could speak english; and that i wasn't alone.  i had two people i care about with me.  the trip was around the harbor, it came with running monologue of the harbor's history and insights of our guide.  the conversation was kept fresh, the only hint at his level of boredom with our jaunt was the speed of his accelerations and the angles of his turns.

i am not sure if he was doing that for the pure fun of it, for me as i was happily standing and rocking with the boat, or for my best friend who was ready to throw-up from the moment we pushed the mooring lines overboard.  the reasons didn't matter to me, the pace and turns added to fun and made for a few fun pictures.  this is the thing about travelling, the better the pictures the stronger the memories.  images of our days fade quickly, but having a picture can bring you right back to the moment.  this trip to sydney came with some great images.  sea sickness, stuck-out tongues, broken sculpture, lightly draped architectural symbols, gifts to boat makers, tree hugging and smiles under the table were captured.

having those moments frozen in bits helps me connect to the others that were not.  associative memories, one moment caught helps to lock in those that were missed.  this is why we carry our cameras, they help us freeze and keep memories for cold winter nights when we are hungry for a satisfying meal from our past.  they let us open the door and pull out a hearty image that makes us happy; and fills us with the calories or our past.

i have taken pictures all over the world.  i am asked why i take so many pictures of people i don't know.  the thing is, this random person i photographed is someone whose life has crossed mine.  it may have been for just a moment, as i was running through city streets and they were waiting for a light on their motorcycle.  our paths cross, they look over and smile.  when i capture that smile, i have it forever, rather than it fading as one of the small moments we share every single day; moments which we quickly forget.

sometimes i take a picture and i see a truth in it that the passing moment doesn't show.  there is a zen saying that a flowing river is never the same twice.  the act of movement brings constant change.  sometimes, constant movement is to protect someone from being captured.  i took a photo a few years ago that i go back to and enjoy over and over.  when i look at it i see clouds on the horizon and a fuzzy foreground, but the image captured both amazing strength and obvious fragility.  pictures can say a thousand words.

having the chance to travel, to see things, to meet people, to live more than a local-life is a blessing.  it's not a blessing that everyone has; if you do have these chances you are obligated to recognize the blessing for what it is.  you need to never allow life to just pass by as you move in the world.  you can capture the moments and come back to them later.  remember the small moments and the smiles of the people you meet.  those are the smiles that could have simply passed you by are the ones that may be important in the longer-term.

even if its just a peak around the corner, or a tongue stuck out in your direction, these are the moments of photographic memory that count.