Have you ever found yourself photographing on a particular theme? A few years ago, I noticed that I was taking a lot of photographs of “edges,” and decided to explore further.
We live in a world of boundaries. borders, and edges – things that separate and things that connect. Stanly Plumly, in his book, The Marriage in the Trees (paid link), writes,
“In ornithology there occurs the phrase, the abrupt edge, which is the edge between two types of vegetation… where the advantages of both are most convenient.”
Plumly says that natural edges can be very gradual or more abrupt, like a forest’s edge. On the edge can be found the greatest diversity, chaos, danger, and opportunity. When I first heard this quote by Plumly, I was blown away. The edge is the place where things happen! Risk and opportunity go hand in hand.
A Project is Born
While walking the beach in Florida with my friend (and poet), Norah Oulahen, we talked about this theme of edges and came up with the idea to do a project together. I provided photographs with “edges” and she wrote poems inspired by the photographs. This image below reminds me of those conversations.
Imagine how many deep talks and silent thoughts occur while thousands of people walk the beach every day. The surf constantly takes away the footprints but the thoughts and conversations live on.
“I think we are always running from the edge. We want to feel safe. There are risks waiting or disappearing there. Our lives are touched by rim hugs.” ~ Norah Weir Oulahen
This image was taken on the Western coast of Ireland, a place where my ancestors came from and set sail for Canada. As I stood on these rocks, I thought of them leaving their homeland for the unknown. Standing at the edge of a vast body of water sometimes makes us think of people we miss and love, whether alive or dead.
“I want to stand as close to the edge as I can without going over. Out on the edge you see all the kinds of things you can’t see from the center.” ~ Kurt Vonnegut, from ThinkExist.com
This is one of those photographic opportunities that you have to train your eyes to see. An ordinary field, yet extraordinarily beautiful when we see the textures, the lines (or edges), and the layers of colour.
Another poem and photo from the Gulf of Mexico. Instead of footprints in the sand, we explore what happens to all of our thoughts at the end (or the edge) of the day. We need to rest and let them simmer.
This is just one way to approach a body of work. You could create your own around a place, a colour, a subject, a type of photography (impressionism or black and white). There are so many possibilities. Currently, I’m working on a project on abstract impressions of my hometown.
“For me, creativity is the stuff you do at the edges. But the edges are different for everyone,and the edges change over time. If you visualize the territory you work in as an old Boston Bruins sweatshirt, realize that over time, it stretches out, it gets looser, the edges move away. Stuff that would have been creative last year isn’t creative at all today, because it’s not near the edges any more.” ~ Seth Godin
Have you noticed themes in your own photography? Or, are you currently working on a project?
Check out: David duChemin’s Boat Abstracts and Guy Tal’s thoughts on Projects.
Early registration (at a discounted price) will open up next week for those on our interested list. You can add your name to that list here.
As you know, I am in love with edges of all sorts. Edges can become thresholds. In Celtic mythology, edges hold special significance. They are a place where we can glimpse two ways of being at the same time. Lovely post.
Lovely to read your words here and see all the lovely images and read the poetry.
The edge is the place where we learn to fly!
I shall be looking out for the registration of your new workshop!
I curently working on Still Life photography which seems to suit this time of the year.
Yes, I literally live on the edge in Baja California. Mostly I’ve thought of it as being a place where things come together…water, land, sky, people. Once I coined a spanglish title for a photo of a crashing wave, La Junta Punta (the point of togetherness). Your post reminds me there are always more ways to think or see something, the value of being open and holding multiple even contradictory view points. I appreciate the way you’ve used images, quotes and original poetry to illustrate it. I also admire your beautiful font layout.
I have absolutely noticed themes in my photography. Sometimes they last for weeks, sometimes it is just something that happens in a day. Fences, doors, and windows. Water, birds in flight etc. Always gives me pause for deep thought. I also live close to the beach (within 30 minutes), where there are lots of edges…land, water, horizons. I find the edges have a kind of tension, but also movement…into something else.
Sometimes the themes are so hit you over the head obvious – definitely worth paying attention to and reflecting on.
Beautiful.. Just a sit on the edge of my seat beautiful post.
I have been extremely lucky to collaborate with Lisa Ahn – a fabulous writer on a joint project – so I can understand the power these types of projects can generate. What an extraordinary project you and Norah have birthed – the work of each of you is strengthened and deepened by bringing the two together. I look forward to more.