Question #15

Question 15. I'm not in the right mood to make photographs.

Responding to life with joy and sorrow is part of the human condition. At times when pain and suffering are inescapable, it is important to remember that this is part of the process by which we acquire knowledge. This does not mean that one must be in discomfort to make art, but stress can be channeled into a creative force if it produces a sense of inquisitiveness and an incentive for change. Thinking through making pictures can allow us to place our pain in context. The images we make can help us understand its source, catalog its scope, adapt ourselves to its presence, and devise ways to control it. There are things in life, once called wisdom, which we have to discover for ourselves by making our own private journeys. Stress can open up possibilities for intelligent and imaginative inquiries and solutions that may have otherwise been ignored, overlooked, or refuted.

R. Hirsch & J. Valentino (2001), emphasis added

上次我们谈到摄影的陈词滥调和瓶颈，这次谈的可以说是人人遇到瓶颈后的心情：没心情。生活上的创作上的挫折确实让人情绪低沉，想放弃。我尝试寻找关于“伤心”的照片，却意外地发现电脑里没有相关照片。也许是我们习惯了避免在伤心时摄影，也许 Kodak 塑造的照相文化——拍照时要 "Cheese!"——使我们避免在别人伤心的时候照相。

虽然没有伤心的例子，我还是找来了“无聊”的例子。我相信生活大部分的时间都是平凡／无聊的，所以我们要接受这个事实。别让“无聊”变成无题材、无新鲜感而放弃创作（摄影），因为创作（摄影）的挑战就在于 Martin Parr 所说的 "Find the extraordinary in the ordinary"。以下的照片都是非常无聊时拍摄的，并没有什么意义要传达，只是在练习构图。

My legs and the chair. 2012. Canon 550D.

Paul's leg. 2012.

与爱摄影／创作的人们共勉之。