I looked over the photos from the trip to the Cascades, and I can't really say that I'm happy with any of them. For the most part, I took photos of tangled limbs and fallen trees choking up the flow of the creek. I had in mind some of Lee Friedlander's later photos and Mark Tucker's photos (he has a nice web page) of limbs and vines in front of old houses. Most of my photos just look like a mess. There's no separation or distinction like in Friedlander's stuff. In any case, the above photos are the ones I was least unhappy with. I actually like the last one pretty well, but I think I'm going to shoot it again (presuming the logs stay in place) when there's more greenery.
On my way back from the Cascades, I was listening to Bruce Springsteen's The River, and I got so pulled into the world of the song "The River" that I ran a red light in downtown Blacksburg. I was jolted out of my little revery by the sound car horns and tires squealing. Luckily, I made it through the light safely. In any case, to complete my account of the Cascades trip, I'm going to post the lyrics to the song. If you haven't heard it, find it and give it a listen--I'll admit it's a little maudlin, but I'm a sucker for songs about broken dreams.
I come from down in the valley
where mister when you're young
They bring you up to do like your daddy done
Me and Mary we met in high school
when she was just seventeen
We'd ride out of that valley down to where the fields were green
We'd go down to the river
And into the river we'd dive
Oh down to the river we'd ride
Then I got Mary pregnant
and man that was all she wrote
And for my nineteenth birthday I got a union card and a wedding coat
We went down to the courthouse
and the judge put it all to rest
No wedding day smiles no walk down the aisle
No flowers no wedding dress
That night we went down to the river
And into the river we'd dive
Oh down to the river we did ride
I got a job working construction for the Johnstown Company
But lately there ain't been much work on account of the economy
Now all them things that seemed so important
Well mister they vanished right into the air
Now I just act like I don't remember
And Mary acts like she don't care
But I remember us riding in my brother's car
Her body tan and wet down at the reservoir
At night on them banks I'd lie awake
And pull her close just to feel each breath she'd take
Now those memories come back to haunt me
they haunt me like a curse
Is a dream a lie if it don't come true
Or is it something worse
that sends me down to the river
though I know the river is dry
That sends me down to the river tonight
Down to the river
my baby and I
Oh down to the river we ride
2 comments:
everybody's got a hungry heart
There's something vaguely cartoonish about the last photo and it's an interesting effect. I think it's the log, something with the apparently smooth texture where the bark has been worn away and how there's a slight bell bottom shape to it. That image combined with the rushing water, which always looks a bit surreal in photos, is rather visually stimulating. I like it.
I'm not too impressed with the first three photos though, but I think it's more of the content than the style. I've started looking for interesting nature photos and they're surprisingly hard to find. Like you said, they either look like calender shots or they just look shitty.
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