Souvenirs and Snapshots

After a passport and a ticket, the next important thing most people pack when preparing to travel is a camera.

As I ready myself for my upcoming trip to Sri Lanka, resurfacing within me are questions of the relationship between travel and taking photos. Why do we (at least I do) feel compelled to document the journey rather than simply enjoy it? Are those activities mutually exclusive? How do our photos of new destinations reflect our approach to traveling?

In On Photography, Susan Sontag writes, “The…industrialization of camera technology only carried out a promise inherent in photography from its very beginning: to democratize all experiences by translating them into images.” Though our current state of visual overload has exposed much of the world to many realities both near and far that might otherwise remain unseen, I don’t think that all experiences can be reduced to their visual components. Just like with eyes, new places and cultures are probed using our hands, our nostrils, our ears and our tongues. We form our conceptions of a place and its personality based on the story our senses, and our past, tells us. That story, I truly believe, is different for every individual soul on the planet.

Thus, I think that the circumstances in which one finds themselves composing a photograph or experiencing an emotional response to viewing a photograph is truly unique to each person. 

Take for instance, the Eiffel Tower. Once considered an eyesore (perhaps still is by some), this structure must be one of the most photographed in the world. There are certainly hundreds of similar photos of the Eiffel Tower in existence, but none are identical.

Where two photographers may want to highlight structural details...

 

another two may be focused on the angle... 

 

or the mood...

 

... and yet another two may want to capture the unmistakeable spectacle that underscores why Paris is called the City of Light.

In addition to these, some of my other favorites of La Tour Eiffel are here, here and here.

Perspectives are always different. The Eiffel Tower may be one thing, but aiming a lens at people from the countries we visit is still a bit of a gray area for me. I suppose, as always, it depends on the intent... Travel writer Pico Iyer writes, "We are objects of scrutiny as much as the people we scrutinize... and we are being consumed by the cultures we consume." I think delving into that might have to wait until another blog post...

What are your thoughts? Do you break out the camera often while on travel or do you prefer to sit back and soak in your surroundings? What do you think the purpose of taking photos while traveling is? Do you agree with Sontag's statement, below?

"...Essentially the camera makes everyone a tourist in other people's reality, and eventually in one's own"   - Susan Sontag, On Photography 

(photo credit, top to bottom: photosnocturnes, boyan photography, skantzman, patrickmayon, ianbramham,  hampshire girl, timur yalcin, the workroom)

The Countdown Begins!

 
Only 25 days now until we are off to Sri Lanka for one of my best friend's wedding. The wedding will take place over the Thanksgiving holiday and I can't imagine a better setting to count my many blessings, surrounded by some of the people I adore most in an enchanting locale such as Sri Lanka.

Thanks to Sri Lanka In Style, we have an ambitious agenda that will take us around the southern hemisphere of the island - from Colombo, to Kandy, to the Ancient Cities, to the Tea Country, Galle and then we end with a fabulous 3-day wedding celebration in Mt. Lavinia. Whew! Can't wait.

In my excitement I've been browsing flickr for photos from all over Sri Lanka. The one above is from Omnia Mutantur. Some other favorites are below, by James Gordon. 

 

Have you been to Sri Lanka? Is there any place you would recommend that we absolutely cannot miss?

A Graceful Fall

We had the most beautiful weather in the district this weekend accompanied by gusts of wind, heady with the scent of fall that will forever remind me of Charlottesville. This meant we were out and about quite a lot - from watching a spectacular sunset over the Potomac to swinging by the DC Occupiers at McPherson.

Some photos, below...

  

Bill Cunningham: On the Screen

The other night I finally got to watch "Bill Cunningham: New York" - a documentary by Richard Press about street/fashion photographer Bill Cunningham. What an incredible life this man has led, capturing the evocative, the eccentric and the everyday fashions while cruising the streets of New York (and sometimes Paris) by bicycle! And yet you don't get any sense that Bill has acquired an ounce of pretentiousness rubbing elbows with some, if not most, of New York's high society. If anything, his modesty and mirthfulness has become more stubborn despite being honored with the title chevalier dans l'ordre des Arts et des Lettres by the French Ministry of Culture.

He really seems to approach his work as an anthropologist, slightly removed (Bill himself wears a cheap blue workman's jacket and patches cheap ponchos with duct tape) yet utterly absorbed and dedicated to his subject. What he does every day is wake up and do what he loves. You can tell he is simply devoted to documenting the beauty he encounters. In an interview with Bill about 20 years ago, he says, "You can't let them give you any money. Then you're free... Money is the cheapest thing. Freedom, liberty, those are the most expensive."

Last Sunday's On the Street (above) is right up my alley, a reflection on black and white. But if shoes are more your thing, check out Bill's latest here.

We Got 99 Problems...

...and the rich is one.

These last few weeks spending time with my parents has been wonderful and while my dad habitually reads at least two newspapers every morning, I feel like I have been living under a rock. Today was the first day that I really became caught up in and captured by the Occupy movement. I vaguely recall my dad saying something about Adbusters shutting down Wall St. weeks ago, but somehow haven't really tuned in until today.

How inspiring. How timely. How necessary.

The protestors of Occupy Wall St. and the thousands of other Occupy Together movements around the world are coming together to remind all of us, not just the Wall St. i-bankers, that we cannot simply forgive and forget that the country's wealthiest 1% controls 34% of the nation's wealth. Without delving into this movement's staying power, goals and tactics, as advised by Eve Ensler, I choose to simply admire the truly beautiful thing that is happening right now.

The testimonials, tweets and tales coming out of the Occupied territories simply tells of people coming together to recognize each other, be heard and spread the word. They're reminding us, the people still got the power.

At the moment, there are still many questions to be answered. What are the protestors going to do? Can they do anything? Will they make a difference? What do they want? What about the bottom line?

The bottom line is simply that the bottom 99% each have a voice, and we're not afraid to use it either.

Check out this great photo essay, by Jacob Blickenstaff for Mother Jones (his photo above). Another interesting image via Mother Jones - this graph of economic inequality in America:

What are your thoughts on the Occupy Movement? Do your fingers wiggle up or down?

A World Without Jobs

We now live in a world without Steve Jobs.

As President Obama noted, "much of the world learned of his passing on a device he invented." I am among the many that learned of Steve Jobs's death via push notification on my iPhone. I immediately grabbed my iPad to read the news and now am on my iMac remarking on how Steve Jobs changed the way we live.

Steve gave us the personal computer, the mouse, the concept of a friendly user interface, a sleek desktop computer with a built-in CPU. More notable as of late, he gave us iTunes, iPhoto, iCloud, the iPod, the iPhone, and of course, the iPad.

But, what Steve gave us isn't nearly as important as what he taught us.

Steve taught us that technology isn't something you have to be savvy about. Rather, technology should be as intuitive as it is innovative. It should bring ease as well as aesthetic into our daily life. Just like the company's namesake fruit, Steve showed us how technology could nourish our lives and our connections to one another. Over the last decade especially, we have seen his vision burn so brilliantly that I know the light will continue to shine on, even though he is gone.

Steve, may you rest in peace.

"Your time is limited, so don't waste it living someone else's life. Don't be trapped by dogma — which is living with the results of other people's thinking. Don't let the noise of others' opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary."

                                                                         - Steve Jobs, 2005, Stanford University

...also, check out these photos submitted by NYT readers as a tribute to Steve Jobs' and his work.

(photo credit: unknown)

Eating Family-Style

I spent my Sunday morning flipping through the NY Times' annual Food Issue. One particular article that I enjoyed featured photos of family dinners, taken by photographer Stephanie Sinclair. With dinners ranging from a box of cheese pizza to an elaborate spread of Indian food, the photos and interviews aim to answer, "why does it matter that families eat together?"

As often as we can, Pem and I try to eat dinner together with as minimal TV or other distractions as possible. Since my parents have been in town visiting, we have really been enjoying each others company around the dinner table. I feel like it is so important to carve out some time to really be with the people that you love, and if it is over a spread of delicious food, all the better.

My parents always made an effort to have dinner together as a family. Even as I continued my staunch vegetarianism,  dinner would be planned and prepared to appease all dietary preferences so that we could sit down together and catch up on one another's lives. On the other hand, when I was visiting my grandparents, there would be many a time when we would eat our dinners on TV tables in the den, watching Vanna White wiggle around the set of Wheel of Fortune. Memories of both settings are very warm and dear to me.

Did you grow up with a set time to report to the dinner table? Do you prefer to eat meals with the sound of the TV in the background? Does your family say grace before digging in or "bon appetit"? Why do you think it matters that families eat together?