Nigh on 50 years ago, I knew a middle aged man who took quite a lovely photo of a blackeyed Susan in a soda can on a beach with the water lapping at the can. My childish self was delighted and urged him to submit it to the local newspaper. He wouldn’t because it was off-center and didn’t follow the current “rules” of photography. He’s been dead about a decade, but this article reminded me of that, just now. I bet the soda company would have bought it from him and perhaps eased some financial burden; and if not, plenty of people eyes would have been enriched by the simplistic beauty of that photograph. But at least my eyes were, and closing them, I can see the image as clearly and crisply as the day I saw the photo.
And I get the Luddites. I dream of an AES state for those behind me, where 25 or less work hours are needed and provide a lifestyle where painting, photography, sculpture, pottery, poetry, gardening, ballet, music, whatever the passion can be easily affordable and enrich consumers, in a similar way. Thank you for resurrecting that memory; and a salient point. ❤️🫡
That’s a great story, thanks for sharing! It’s really great to see what people do with stuff like photography when there’s no financial angle involved, and they’re just having fun for its own sake.
Yeah, it is. I wonder if cave dweller early hominids used to give their companions grief over useless hobbies like staying up mixing pigment and painting cave walls instead of sleeping and readying to gather berries and hunt?
I would bet on it. I think that’s kind of inherent in the human condition where we each see the world slightly differently (or a lot differently in some cases) and that tends to color our priorities and what see as important. Which means we often get frustrated with one another when our priorities don’t align. It’s also what makes us resilient, because there are always many points of view and many perspectives on any problem facing us.
Nigh on 50 years ago, I knew a middle aged man who took quite a lovely photo of a blackeyed Susan in a soda can on a beach with the water lapping at the can. My childish self was delighted and urged him to submit it to the local newspaper. He wouldn’t because it was off-center and didn’t follow the current “rules” of photography. He’s been dead about a decade, but this article reminded me of that, just now. I bet the soda company would have bought it from him and perhaps eased some financial burden; and if not, plenty of people eyes would have been enriched by the simplistic beauty of that photograph. But at least my eyes were, and closing them, I can see the image as clearly and crisply as the day I saw the photo.
And I get the Luddites. I dream of an AES state for those behind me, where 25 or less work hours are needed and provide a lifestyle where painting, photography, sculpture, pottery, poetry, gardening, ballet, music, whatever the passion can be easily affordable and enrich consumers, in a similar way. Thank you for resurrecting that memory; and a salient point. ❤️🫡
That’s a great story, thanks for sharing! It’s really great to see what people do with stuff like photography when there’s no financial angle involved, and they’re just having fun for its own sake.
Yeah, it is. I wonder if cave dweller early hominids used to give their companions grief over useless hobbies like staying up mixing pigment and painting cave walls instead of sleeping and readying to gather berries and hunt?
You’re welcome, good comrade.
I would bet on it. I think that’s kind of inherent in the human condition where we each see the world slightly differently (or a lot differently in some cases) and that tends to color our priorities and what see as important. Which means we often get frustrated with one another when our priorities don’t align. It’s also what makes us resilient, because there are always many points of view and many perspectives on any problem facing us.