Imagine

The ability to construct things in our mind is one of our greatest assets we have as humans.  When we are children, our imagination often gets afforded the agency it deserves.  We warrant it to the degree it should be warranted and our parents and teachers point it out as a positive; ‘she has a wonderful imagination’.  As we grow older, imagination often gets pushed back to accommodate  – or make room for – reality.  We eventually get to a point where reason becomes paramount and it’s a sad day when reason begins to trump imagination. I think that imagination being denied or suppressed makes us a little unhealthy; we could all stand to regain some of it in our lives. It’s there; we just need to give it some exercise and, like any muscle memory, it will come back – often stronger for having been exercised – and we will be better off.

When it comes to photography, our ability to construct is integral to both the creation and interpretation sides of the medium.   As photographers, we construct the image in our mind’s eye and then commit to it with framing and the push of a button.  If the image we captured is going to be shared with anyone – anyone at all – the photograph isn’t necessarily ‘finished’ at the point where we pushed the button.  A viewer then looks at your photo and reconstructs it in their mind.  That’s some of the beauty of the medium; we create, and a viewer – to construct something in their imagination – uses that creation.  Photography allows us to share our imaginations across a moment instilled in the medium. When one of our images resonates with someone else we feel a wonderful sense of connection. I think that resonance is our imaginations having a chat.  And, while it’s true we should shoot for ourselves first, it’s important to recognize that resonance that occurs when our imagination gets entwined with someone else’s while they look at our photograph.  Awareness of that constructive nature of the mind will not only make you a better photographer but will help in many other aspects of your life when dealing with others. You are not the only one who goes through life constructing things; we’re all doing it to degrees.

“Imagination is absolutely critical to the quality of our lives. Our imagination enables us to leave our routine everyday existence by fantasizing about travel, food, sex, falling in love, or having the last word – all things that make life more interesting. Imagination gives us the opportunity to envision new possibilities – it is an essential launch pad for making our hopes come true.  It fires our creativity, relieves our boredom, alleviates our pain, enhances our pleasure, and enriches our most intimate relationships.”

 – Bessel Van Der Kolk

Use your imagination.