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Decisive Moments: Get the Message
by
Bill
Miller
As
a photographer, and a curious one at that, I collect the signs and messages
people leave behind. The message
must say something personal to me, and either run parallel to my interests or be
an ironic opposite. I don’t
disturb its setting or remove it; I only make photographs.
Why
would anyone find such bits of information interesting?
Working as a photojournalist has heightened my fascination with other
people’s thoughts, the history of different physical locations, and the
evolution of particular events. I use the messages as a way to share in moments long past,
like looking through an album of Christmas photos from a long-forgotten family
gathering. I can share someone else’s feelings or ideas. What we choose to
gather says something about us as people and artists. Most importantly, my images of these moments make good,
creative photography.
Modern
messages often carry a social, political, and spiritual import that wasn’t
intentional. They catch my eye when
they’re curious, ironic, or outrageous. For
example, a lone highway sign on a backcountry dirt road depicting a single cow
undoubtedly means something practical to local ranchers and inhabitants of rural
America, but to me it was unique. Others
may find themselves guessing what a picture of a cow on a sign means.
Never mind the obvious “Watch Out For Cows in the Road!” No matter how I look at it, the sign makes me laugh.
Messages
can take on a new life and dimension as they age or when the viewers change over
time. The anonymous people who left
the messages behind had something to say that I often find compelling.
Some messages are obviously intentional, while others take on accidental
meanings. Some statements, like
graffiti, are deliberately created, while many are made absent-mindedly.
Messages from the past can be very personal, like a heart carved into the
trunk of a tree. It’s a brief
moment of sentimentality captured and destined to live beyond its time.
I’m sure the carver had no idea that his heart would become a landmark
for travelers and people passing time.
Sites
that have “history” to them are often marked with messages and personal
notes where you least expect them. In
a set of old mills in Bend, Oregon, I found signs that had weathered into
abstract art, and notes about the weather kept by a mill employee nearly a
half-century ago during a cold snap. I
collected these messages because one is a hallmark of change, while the other is
someone’s personal journal never intended for other eyes.
Not
all signs, banners, and messages you find will be worthy of being saved on film,
but you might end up with photos that bring laughter, tears, a sense of irony,
and better understanding of the world. If
you do create such special records, and you share them with the world, the
messages will become yours. Then,
your messages will be passed on like two lovers’ hearts carved in a
two-hundred-year-old aspen.
Copyright © Bill
Miller.
Bill Miller is a photographer, teacher and writer. He is the founder of PhotoTreks and conducts workshops in the Oregon area. You can learn more about Bill and his workshops by going to www.empnet.com/imageworks/PTREKS/
Travel the Blue Highways of Central and Eastern Oregon as you learn photography and develop your own personal creative vision. Learn photography in locations that will inspire your creativity and excite your senses. To see what we have for you, visit: http://www.empnet.com/imageworks/PTREKS/ For stock photography of Central and Eastern Oregon visit Central Oregon Photos at; http://www.empnet.com/imageworks/COSTOCK/ Contact us at: imageworks@empnet.com
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