copyright Douglas Stockdale 2012
Memory is a fickle thing. Probably to my chagrin, something that I am not always in control of. Maybe for me that fact is related to getting a little older, but hey, that’s a stereotype, isn’t it?
Regardless, the subject of memory that has been really intriguing me as of late. I seek perfection in the recall of facts and events and I become a little frustrated when that does not occur as quickly as I would like. Which brings me indirectly to this recent photograph.
On a recent series of flights, I found myself changing planes in Chicago’s ORD en route to my final destination earlier this week. There was something about the dismal appearing tarmac in the falling snow that captured my attention, perhaps it related to my current journey, or symbolic of yet another journey.
The idea of using Photoshop to expand the contrast to obtain the white, white snow and the blacks in the shadows to obtain the full dynamic range is not appealing to me. There was something about leaving this image awash in the middle grays as this tarmac winds off towards an unknown future. Perhaps not photo-technically right, but seems emotionally right for me. Not sure how this image relates directly or indirectly with memory, but at the moment it does for me.
Perhaps like memory, the current events are clearly seen and felt, but over time these same events becomes indistinct and vague.
