Tuesday 29 May 2007

DIFFERENT WITH SIMILARITIES, about vision and individualism.



Some very personal thoughts that I care to share with you.
About the first image.
This is what makes me tick, an alternative and beyond the obvious view of things, I'm not claiming it is unique, just that it is what I favour the most, my vision.
Cornwall, Padstow, Easter Sunday… so many people in the narrow streets, eating and drinking, soaking up the local atmosphere, the warmth of the sun.
Me, I’m not too fond of crowds (I guess not many photographers are?), had been walking the different quays, taking a few photos as souvenirs, I knew that Padstow, also being a fishing harbour, had to have another side to it. As I eventually came to it, of course it was prohibited to the public…
I defied the law, broke it and walked on, that’s where the good stuff was, a few fishermen looked at me a bit suspiciously, but nothing a smile couldn’t fix, hihi.

I know most of you will not 'see' what I see in it, but that's ok, photography is a personal matter, I have to love it in the first place, in my 'free' photography I take images for myself, images that will mean something to me! And if others like it... well, that is a bonus!

I found myself standing on the edge of the quay, above a dredger, looking down at the sand in the hull, I looked up, the shadow of a huge crane behind me, light... shadow, colour, composition...photography...

It is ALL about the visual here where other images can have a more hidden message...
like the second one and what it says about me and means to me:

Jonathan Livingston Seagull, the most celebrated inspirational fable of our time, tells the story of a bird determined to be more than ordinary. This bestselling modern classic, is a story for people who want to follow their dreams and make their own rules and has inspired people for decades.
'Most gulls don't bother to learn more than the simplest facts of flight -- how to get from shore to food and back again,' writes author Richard Bach in this allegory about a unique bird named Jonathan Livingston Seagull.
'For most gulls it is not flying that matters, but eating. For this gull, though, it was not eating that mattered, but flight.' Flight is indeed the metaphor that makes this story soar.
This modern classic is a fable about seeking a higher purpose in life, even if your flock, tribe or neighbourhood finds your ambition threatening (at one point our beloved gull is even banished from his flock).
By not compromising his higher vision, Jonathan learns the meaning of love and kindness and gets the ultimate payoff -- transcendence.


It influenced my life, it fitted the philosophy I felt from a very young age, that I was an individualist, a loner, different, never part of anything really, being just me, not accepting anything that might hurt other people, like racism, bullying, fiercely standing up for my convictions... that can be intimidating to most, it invites fear and/or jealousy... however like with every choice you make in life, be careful, you have to live with the consequences... brace yourself for the hurt, disenchantment and loneliness.
People feel too often threatened by strong individuals, they shouldn't, just accept them.
My religion is that we are ALL born with a conscience, that we ALL know so well when we do wrong or right, sometimes the tone in which something is said is enough! AND WE KNOW IT!!!
I am still convinced that being a good human being is NOT a difficult achievement.

Have a great day, remember.. I DON'T DO BIRDS.. thanx, M, (*_*)

1 comment:

Unknown said...

Hi Magda, apart from the beautiful photographs I really like your text here. It really feels like the words come straight out of your heart. It is so true that people seem to be afraid of strong individuals (especially women), and it is true that being an individualist one has to deal with a lot of prejudice, hurt and loneliness. I’ve never understood the fear of strong individuals but the proof is all around us.

Keep on rocking !

Marleen