Photography, Beliefs, The Impossible, and Timing

2014-06-20T09:26:36Z

A FB friend made the observation, “You can do anything you want if you put your mind to it”. They then asked, of the things that are possible, what do you want to do? And how do you know what’s possible until you give it your best shot?

I looked through quotations that referenced the impossible and found one that fits to my experience,

“What I like about photographs is that they capture a moment that’s gone forever, impossible to reproduce.” ― Karl Lagerfel

I was once a regular on an IRC (internet relay chat) channel run by a very competent intuitive. She was asked a lot of questions, but the most common were of the theme, “what is my purpose in life, what am I here to do?” These were younger people who wanted to know what they could or should do. Was there an issue with them asking what they should do? Of course not, but my talented intuitive friend could only provide guesses based on the moment. The questioners could have looked to what they wanted to do. There was a certain magic in the moment, a magic similar to that of the photograph, and the questioners were missing their opportunity.

The seekers were open to possibilities, and their minds were ready to move forward into the unknown. My intuitive friend may have had some of the right answers, but there were no guarantees. The seekers, those asking the questions about their futures, had an opportunity to put their minds to their futures. The seekers had the power of their beliefs.

Back to Karl's quote. Photoshopping aside, photography captures the fleeting moment. The moment that seems so permanent, with all of its possibilities, is as fleeting as wisps of steam. Photography does capture the moment, but time moves on. Life moves on. What we can do, what we put our mind to, is fleeting as well. We can do anything, but the scope of that is defined within this moment. Life is anything but static. Our minds tap the morphing moment, the changing possibilities, and from this anything is possible, but not all of the time. Photography follows these rules as well. Any moment may be captured, but if it is not captured, it is gone forever. Every moment is unique in some way and I love that about photography. Your mind, and its beliefs, can take advantage of every moment, with an infinite number of possibilities overall, but there are a changing finite number now.

A last series of quotes about beliefs, the impossible, and timing...

Alice laughed. "There's no use trying," she said: "one can't believe impossible things."
"I daresay you haven't had much practice," said the Queen. "When I was your age, I always did it for half-an-hour a day. Why, sometimes I've believed as many as six impossible things before breakfast." - Lewis Carroll

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Photography, Beliefs, The Impossible, and Timing