A photographer friend of mine once told me that he was upset that his teenage daughter was complaining that she was bored, with nothing to do and nowhere to go.
We discussed the vagaries of youth and how we missed the sets of opportunities presented to the young. We agreed that no amount of discussion, cajoling, directing or encouragement from him, his daughter was going to be bored until she alone decided it wasn’t a place she wanted to be.
Jon and I are rarely bored. As loing as there is a camera nearby, we’ll always have something to do.
No matter the weather, time of day, position of the moon and stars, financial condition, the amount of our utility bill or lack of sleep, a camera will always lift us out of any degree of depression. Putting a camera in our hands and beginning to watch the world transforms us. It places us in the role of participants in the fractal nature of our lives rather than sitting idle as the world moves around us.
The chaotic aspects of boredom are removed and we are the observable order in the lives of the people who we interact with. The process of creativity and the exploration of discovery removes any hint of depression and boredom.
Always having a camera handy can elevate above normal even the routine return home from driving kids to school on a cold morning. In this case, this morning, it was my iPhone.
