Lack of sleep is the bane of my life, arriving unannounced it stays for a while and then leaves without a fuss, probably for some other poor soul. I respond to the world in a different way whilst tired, more tactile and instinctive and less logical or cognitive. This can actually be quite beneficial for my photography work, as I'm very much living in the moment with heightened senses informing my creative choices. I had just such a day on Saturday, I'd made quite a few pictures and was on my way home when a couple came out of their house with their Dalmatian dog. As they walked past me the dog came over to me and I instinctively stroked him, the softness of his fur unexpectedly transported me back to my childhood as it felt precisely like Satchmo our family Dalmatian. I must have stroked hundreds of dogs in the intervening years but I'd never had that sense of sameness before, I wanted to run after the dog for another memory hit, resisted, but was left thinking about both dogs.
Looking through my pictures later at home my decisions where informed by this tactile experience and the two I've chosen were settled upon whilst still considering the importance of touch and how our senses are intricately woven together with our memories. I told you I was tired!
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