I recently won an award for an image. Its below. Its probably as personal an image as you can imagine. I took it on my phone. I then forgot all about it. One day when I was with my son at the Melbourne Museum and he was busy chasing seagulls at the entrance, I browsed the contents of my phone and the photo popped up.
I got a bit of a shock, but I was immediately captivated by it. For there it was, proof of an event, one that had been pushed out of my memory. Events of the day came flooding back. I took some photos at the time. Why not? Document. Its the era of perpetual documentation. Why not this moment as well? And I am glad I did it. I have very little recollection of the event. It was cold, it was uncomfortable and it was intense. That is all I remember. Are these moments meant to be transient? Are they meant to be lived and then promptly forgotten? Perhaps this question only applies to bums like me with their colander memories and nostalgic feels. But nevertheless, there in a happy moment where Lex chased seagulls with all the joy of an endless unbounded life, I came upon an image of death. And I Instagramed it right there and then.
I saw the image again on a Yahoo news page. What does this mean? What compels me to go public with this? Is it because it is expected of a photographer to exhibit? To have a blurred public/private persona? Perhaps. The brand compels public confessionals?
In any event, I like the image. My mother is surrounded by all she loved. And that is enough.
If you are in Sydney, go to the Head On photo festival. It’s full on street to street photography. Go nuts.
