[Leica] Mind's eye

[Mike Johnston <michaeljohnston@ameritech.net>]

Mike G.: >>>Actually, I must admit that I keep seeing that road corner
in my mind's
eye.<<<


Isn't that interesting? When I was new to photography I was absolutely
fascinated to find that:

    --some photographs that are instantly appealling lose their appeal
over time, and soon seem empty, obvious, and trite;
    --some photographs that seem dull and meaningless at first get more
interesting, richer, and deeper over time.

Why do some pictures stick in your mind?

Do people here use an editing board? I often go into the darkroom and
make 12 or 18 workprints from new contact sheets. At first I think all
the workprints are of more or less equal quality. Then I put them up on
my editing board and simply look at them for a few days. By the end of
that time, one or two are revealed as gems to me, a few seem worthless,
and with most of them, those three or four days are enough time to spend
with them! It's always been a source of wonder to me that they "sort
themselves out" like that.

Over the years I have noticed that sometimes there are certain "nothing"
pictures that grab me somehow...they're memorable to me. And yet they're
nothing. I don't quite have the courage to deliberately work with this
insight. I'm too concerned with "looking good" to others, I guess.

- --Mike