Why We Photograph

Tom enjoying a laugh at the Nygren Wetlands

News of the death of a close friend came like a gut punch. It sucked the air out of my lungs causing me to simply pause and contemplate the gift of life as well as the gifts some people bring into our lives.  Tom and several other fellow photographers met every Friday morning for coffee and conversation.  We became known as the Grumpy Old Photographers simply because those three words described us.  The grumpy part described some members of the group more than others but we all carry a bit of grit.  Our love for photography initially drew us together but it was the bond of friendship and respect that kept us meeting together weekly over all these years. Through our photography we shared more than pictures; we shared pieces of ourselves that we would never think to publicly display.  We could be direct in our criticism of each others photography and that of others using unvarnished words. We could comfortably share polar opposite personal views on politics and social change. Because of this relationship, today, none of us are the same photographers or people who met all those years ago.

Most publications about photography focus on the places we photograph, what we photograph, what tools we use to photograph and why those tools are the best tools or not.  Much attention is also given to how we process our photos and how AI is revealing new pathways to create images that are akin to photography.  However, little attention is given to the obvious question that any curious four year old child would likely ask,  "Mister, Why are you doing that?"  

There are many reasons we make photographs.  We sometimes photograph to document.  Only one of our group comes from a photojournalist background but we all document our own special events, landmark family moments and quiet solitary moments we can savor later in our own minds.  We use photography to share ourselves with strangers in much the same manner as people in primative cultures wear uniquely crafted ceremonial masks while participating in common rituals.  Our "photography" masks help us blend in with others while still concealing parts of us.   For some people the process of making photographs together as within a group photo shoot helps us form bonds with others and learn from them while we practice and grow our craft.   My life has been enriched by many people met through photography, Tom being one of them. Finally, some of us photograph as a solitary, cathartic experience to center us during those times when our life gets chaotic or stressful.  In those instances,  photography filters out all life's distractions just as a good photographic composition will enhance what is truly important within the frame. Then other times, we simply like to hear the camera go click.

My phone always identified Tom's incoming calls by playing the opening lines from the Stills and Young hit, Long May You Run. 

We've been through some things together

With trunks of memories still to come

We found things to do in stormy weather

Long may you run

To me, it doesn't matter that this song was written about a young man's memory of his first car.   Like that first jalopy, Tom looked distinctively rugged and lived his life with a character as steadfast as a Buick. Tom proudly wore his laugh lines and often wore a cowboy hat because his head was in Montana with his grandson and those Yellowstone landscapes. Although I can no longer reach out to him, his name will remain yet another name within my cell phone as a memory I wish to hold a little longer.  Long may you run!