In the blurb on yesterday's photo I mentioned how the serene scene of a foggy Victoria Harbour was misleading because of the cacophony of commerce that was coming from behind me.
I felt myself drawn to explore the streets of Tsim Sha Tsui so I turned my back on the harbor and headed north up Nathan Road. Every street was bustling, despite the light drizzle. Had it been dark I might have thought I'd stepped into the world of Blade Runner!
I think the scene below was taken on one of the streets west of Nathan Road and south of Kowloon Park but there's no particular landmark that allows me to place it.
I only have three images from this stroll – I think because of the rain I kept my camera in it's bag most of the time. Looking at these images now I can't believe I wasted such a golden opportunity. I was in a place where film was cheap and plentiful, I could easily have replace my camera or even traded up but chose instead not to use it.
I've seen so many pieces over the years about whether you should photograph or you should you experience the event. At 50, looking back, I recommend you photograph. When you photograph you are trying to capture the experience and so I believe you are more engaged in the experience than if you are simply spectating. Just looking at these old photos of mine unlocks and release memories for me. They do the same for others I was with at the time as well. Without the photo to unlock the memory it would just stay there, like the magazine at the bottom of the pile, slowly fading from view as new material is heaped on top until it becomes invisible, unwanted, and is scooped up and dumped in the recycle bin, gone forever.
And while the trend today is for ever more video, I don't find I connect with video so well. I find I just can't sit there and watch it. I want to speed through some pieces and freeze other pieces. With photos the viewer gets to choose when to move on or how long to linger.
That captured split second of time, forever frozen, allows all sorts of mental connections to me made, emotions to well up and subside in a way I find that the video clip just doesn't permit. With video, the video is in control of the pace. With a photograph, the pace is controlled by the viewer. I can't count the times I've flicked through my wedding albums but I know I've only watched my wedding video exactly one time, and even then I was pushing the fast forward button frequently.
And in that way, although life is constant motion, I think a photograph can better capture life than a video can in a lot of situations.
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