Stay Awake Stay Alive

Among the hardest things to learn about photography or art or life, for that matter is to learn to

Stay Awake, Stay Alive

By that I mean to not only stay in the moment and remain truly present but also to stay fully engaged with life.

Over my years of making photographs I’ve learned a lot. And though I still face technical challenges and will never stop learning about photography, the biggest challenge I have is to stay in the moment.

The job of the photographer is not merely to use a camera really well and hope the rest falls into place; it is to be present. Aware. Responsive. And not only that but to anticipate, when possible, the moment as it unfolds: to speculate what might happen not only in the moment but how that might translate to what’s going on in the frame—and the resulting impact on the composition.

   — David duChemin, The Contact Sheet/June 12, 2022

The truth of life is that each moment is valuable in and of itself. Yet we often squander our moments and days wishing to be somewhere, with someone, or doing something else.

Every time I go outside to take a walk I think carefully about whether I will take my camera with me. That’s because when I take my camera along I often see the world differently. I slow down and notice my surroundings more and I bend down to peer at tiny leaves or flowers in the grass. You could say that I am more present and more awake.

The truth is that it shouldn’t matter whether I have a camera with me or not for me to fully appreciate all of the ordinary miracles that surround me every day. But at least for now, it still makes a difference to me. That’s one reason I love photography—because I see the world differently with a camera in my hands.

Each Day is a Gift

Becoming a photographer taught me to see beauty and to see that each day is different. Each moment in unique. And beauty and miracles are everywhere if I stay awake and stay aware.

You want to make stronger photographs? Do everything you can to remain present in the moment. Don’t wish it away. Don’t kill time (what a terrible expression). Don’t look down at a screen when the moment is happening everywhere else. Don’t cut it short before you absolutely have to. Don’t make the mistake of believing that moment won’t be cut short before you expect it to be. Or that it will repeat itself. This might be the one chance to live it, experience it, and perhaps also to photograph it.

 

You don’t have to photograph it (there are times not to), but don’t miss it.

 

Our raw materials are light and time. Of the two, time is the most limited. It’s the one over which we have the least control. And it’s the one we will all—one day—be wishing we had more of.

   — David duChemin, The Contact Sheet/June 12, 2022

Sending lots of love and wishes for you, my friends, to stay awake, stay alive.