Wednesday, January 23, 2008

Photos, windows to the souls

One of the most interesting ideas of human, I guess, has been watching the life and the world through the others’ eyes: reading a writer’s stories, watching a director’s movies, looking at a photographer’s pictures. These days, thanks to the technology and the digital cameras, taking a photo has become an easy task, and thanks to the World Wide Web, it has been much easier to share the pictures with other people and to check their photos.

There are many “photo sharing” websites out there, from personal photo-blogs to Yahoo-photos and Flickr and many more. Even in the social networking websites you can see other people’s photo album, well, if you are allowed to. It’s almost similar to a family party when after having the meal, all the chats and laughs, and pots and pots of tea; you get to see the family album. I have always liked this part.

Photos can even be generally categorized.

Some photos are pretty simple, the family photos, photos recording the fun moments, photos recording the beauties of the nature, the buildings, the cars, the roads, the sky.
Some are more like the news, somebody laughed, somebody cried, a baby grew, some people gathered together.
Some photos are more artistic, a flower, a beautiful portrait, a cute bird, a nice shaped cloud, a repeating pattern.
Some are a bit dark, mostly black and white, displaying the ugliness in a glamorous way. Some try to tell a story. Some are more similar to a painting. Some are more like nightmares. Some make you laugh, some make you sad, some make you think.

I’d say it also has a psychological aspect to it; as you get to see a part of the other one’s soul as well. Some souls are so easy going, some of them are deeper. Some are more sensitive, some are more romantic. Some are funny, some are serious. Even, sometimes when I see an image I think to myself what was the photographer really thinking?!

…and sometimes if you follow somebody’s photo stream, you get a feeling that you know this person somehow, even if you come across each other on the street, and don’t recognize each other…

3 comments:

Nader said...

The reality is that photos are more powerful than videos in many aspects. For one thing, a still picture captures the moment forever and gives you unlimited amount of time to stay at that moment and go back deep to the time it was taken. It gives us time to think about the elements of the photo. Where as for the video, our mind doesn't have enough time to stay at a specific scene and really connect with it unless we hit the pause button, which we rarely do.

BTW, congrats for the new template. It is clean and beautiful. I like it.

Anonymous said...

I agree with you whole heartedly. I think this topic has more to talk about. Please explain more and continue it. Keep up the good work!

Anonymous said...

Roohe Ashena:
Photos / pictures for me are sacred....My friends tease me about it endlessly and some family members get very offended why I do not share photos so generously with them...and some people just think I am the "weird" or "secretive" person they always thought I am...

But years ago someone talked about an Indian belief with me:
"Every picture captures a little trace of our souls...so be mindful who you share it with"...

For many years in my late teens and in early 20's, when I used to live in my mother land, I had a passion to carry a camera and capture the moments of life that happens randomly in streets and different places...while no one is paying any attention to those simple moments.
I think even at that time I knew somewhere in my heart that I am peaking through a tiny window to the soul of the moment...and trying very hard to freeze it...Years had to pass by in order for me to realize, what I capture with every click of a camera is what I desperately want to keep for myself, what I desperately NEED to hang on to...One day I realized that the sweetest of all the moments are the one that I missed capturing in any photos…and are just captured in my heart and soul...I call them to appear just by closing my eyes....and the deep meaning of them are just for me and no one else….