Unlike writing, which is a vocation mired with maybes, the camera, for all of its complex mechanisms, can only say yes. Photography is, for me, a medium of unanimous affirmation, the shutter creating a yes so total, so entire, nothing in its frame can be denied presence. Though the impulse to fire the shutter can be entangled with doubt, the act is swift and irreversible. Once the photo is made, the only way to turn back is to destroy it.
If, as the photographer Garry Winogrand has said, we take photographs to see how the world looks when photographed, I make pictures of my brother to see the parts in him I cannot see in real time, my eyes too myopic, fleeting or faulty. The photograph invites true study, the frame fixing the world in place so that myth and truth accrue within our gaze. In this way, the image offers more of a person than what was first attainable at first glance. The shutter goes from saying yes, yes, yes to more, more, more.
— Ocean Vuong, from “My Brother’s Keeper” (NY Times, June 11 2025)
Notes:
- Photo of Strawberry Moon @ 4:19 am this morning @ Cove Island Park. See more pictures of the moon, the fog, the sunrise, egrets, herons, and an amazing TIME LAPSE VIDEO — all found here.
I agree. Sometimes, looking at a photograph gives us more time to notice things we would otherwise miss. It helps us take the time to really “see.”
I agree Anneli
“The act is swift and irreversible” #shuttercount
Oh Brother!
#let.it.go.
Easy for you to say. #got4othersbehindit
YES! And I cannot believe I missed the moon. In my mind it was tonight… *&?%!
I did TOO! I had a late jump and wrong equipment to get close-up but happy to catch the tail end.
Lucky you! It was so windy last night, I don’t even remember seeing the moon, to be honest.
I was asleep at 8:30, not sure the moon was even thinking of making an appearance yet.
Hah! Right. Gotcha…
LOVE the photos and the wild time-lapse vid!! And is that egret scratching his neck, or his wingpit?😄
Wingpit! Thank you!
I agree with Anneli, I often see things in my images that I wasn’t even aware
were there. I love taking landscapes but people’s expressions give me the most joy – and photos of Wally, of course.
And photos of Wally, of course.
the time lapse video is wonderful!
Thanks Jim!
yes, something in photos is like capturing a ghost at times. it’s different than living the moment and something is lost when not watching with our eyes and important to put down our cameras at times. but also something gained in photos at times in what is captured that we can’t see with our eyes in real time.
They really are a fleeting moment in time aren’t they?
Oh, they are!
Stunning David. I have no idea how you keep up the cadence; I’m in awe my friend.
Really appreciate your kind words Julian. Thank you.
What a fascinating perspective. The camera captures what’s before us, but at the same time, we decide what to include in the frame. 😉
Right?!?!
Your ability to capture Soulful Beauty is”unanimous” & it is True that in your photography & All photography: “nothing in its frame can be denied presence”…Your Observations, Thoughts, Tenderness, Intellect & Love – are Woven into Words and We All Love Your Writing…and We are All Better When You Grace Us With Your Gifts…
So kind Christie, thank you!