Wednesday, February 1, 2012

The visual image is a kind of trip wire for the emotions


“The visual image is a kind of trip wire for the emotions” 
Diane Ackerman

I came across this great quote on twitter last week and while this is a fact I’ve always been aware of, the quote made me stop and really think.  I recently processed two images that fit this quote like a glove but on different ends of the emotional spectrum.

The first image I shot in the Elkmont area of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. In the years prior to the establishment of the park, influential Knoxville citizens built vacation cottages in this area; many are still there. Some of the best ones are located along Millionaires Row, a pet name given to the area, many years ago.  As I photographed several of these dilapidated cabins, I kept getting drawn to the details of the buildings, especially the old screen doors.  After returning home and processing some of the images, this one peculiar door image was speaking to me. Viewing the image transported me back to the mid-seventies and our house where I spent most of my childhood years. We had a wooden screen door on the “back door”; the door leading out to the back yard. As you can imagine, I used it often and, as a typical kid, I didn’t gently shut the screen door. I let her spring do the job! Looking at this image, I can hear the swish as it passes over the cement porch, the” BLAM” as it slammed shut and the vibrating squeak as it shook to a stop.  Just like it was yesterday.

The second image, the gate and walkway to the old home, is an image I shot about two years ago but just recently processed. During the initial edit, I passed over processing the image just because it wasn’t one of my favorites from the day’s shoot.  When I went back and processed the image, I let it just sit on my screen and looked into it. The image evoked at strong feeling of loneliness inside me.  My mind wandered past the old gate; does someone live here?  Is the owner older and unable to tidy up, as I look up the unkempt sidewalk?  The porch, outside the image,  appears lonely and longing for someone to come enjoy what it has to offer.  Over all, a lonesome scene.

Sometimes an image is more than just a photograph, it’s a tripwire to an emotion.

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