An innocent, if a bit strange conversation opener. It did not mean what I expected. I had thought this the question you ask before you inquire if someone wants to photograph you blowing a fat vape cloud. It was not. What followed was the start of someone’s 30 minute dissertation on how the sky is fake.
I’m not proud of how I handled the conversation or sure how I wished I had. I started off trying to just listen, but I ended the interaction having gotten increasingly agitated. And I’m not sure why. He probably just wanted someone to talk to. To feel heard in a world that feels so out of control and nonsensical that he needs to invent theories about the false sky.
Sure, listening to a long rant wasn’t how I’d left the house intending to spend the evening, but it wasn’t necessarily a “bad” way. I wish I’d engaged with this person with a more open heart and greater kindness. To not have let my unimportant idea of what might have been get in the way of what was.
Photographically today I was exploring a lighter look than usual. Inspired someone’s photos in a Discord as well as the work of Rinko Kawauchi. It was a fun challenge. I think to truly get the most out of this style I need to see with different eyes. Eyes that aren’t looking for the same contrast and color and lines that I’m usually looking for. It’s also a rare style that I can’t do fully in-camera, since the shadows need to be washed out later in post.
But it does feel like a very natural other side of the coin of my usual style. Both can create images that feel like faded memories of a place you remember passing by. But where my normal darkness is isolating and melancholy this lightness transmits a more hopeful and wistful tone.
I don’t know how common this approach will be for me, but it definitely feels like a breath of fresh air in the middle of all the autumn gloom.