Why I Blog

Is it the picture that is worth a thousand words or the memories it triggers? That vista, in the above photo as an example, is not merely a charming hillside rise to me. It is the eight-minute drive to the center of Orvieto where the 14th century Duomo sits majestically in ancient-stone splendor. It is the mellow mist of morning as the moisture rises to the sun’s calling and caress. It is the welcoming aromatic of the first cup of espresso, where it was invented, giving a tasteful and scintillating jolt to the start of the day. An image is the reductionist version of an experience. It has no heart. Is indifferent to all except that most discreet and finite moment in time and space when the shutter flutters open, lights let in, and then snaps shut. End of story. A story that never really began. A photo is Life halted or suspended.

The image will not possess the background, preamble or history attached to it. We do. But, a photograph can instigate memory. We provide the all-important context required to impart significance and relatability. When sharing pictures with friends and family, you don’t flip or scroll from one picture to the next without some accompanying anecdote or reflection. It is Life that is shared. Our lives. We want to impart our deepest feelings, thoughts, concerns, desires, pleasures and joys. Those are our personal stories. Our stories fill in the expanse of time and space…with meaning.

Experience is subjective. Therefore memory is subjective and never the same twice, even between people who share an event or experience. The photograph is an exactitude. History less so. Our autobiographies are more emotionally genuine than reliably factual. All the fragments of experience are connected by an infinite variety of feelings and associations - limbic sensations, flights of fantasy, internal temperature shifts, raising or lowering heart rate, and organic impulses to dwell or flee, or laugh or cry.

So, what is it about a picture we can share without any reference to past events or feelings - no prompts; no perceptions; no words? I would suggest ‘beauty’; that what we all have in common is an innate, universal sense of beauty. Beauty of the scene. Beauty of the senses. Beauty of the soul. A collective awareness of the authenticity of nature. In this realm and manner a photograph can surely stand alone.

So, why do I blog? I blog for many reasons:
1. I blog because I become aware to a heightened degree.
2. I blog to seek inspiration.
3. I blog to think outside myself.
4. I blog because I care about the world around me.
5. I blog because I have something I wish to say.
6. I blog to share my truth and authenticity.
7. I blog as a tool of analysis and evaluation.
8. I blog because I like interacting with other’s comments and observations.
9. I blog to record my experiences in photos.
10. I blog to share beauty for beauty’s sake.

The recollections throughout my blog posts are mine. These reflections, like the photographs, are intended as ‘instigators’ for thought, discussion and dialogue. Throughout, I encourage all that read this blog to feel free to comment on what you see. You are all welcome. Glad you have come along on our journey.