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Journal 2: Bearing Witness

I photographed the Carlsbad village area. The area is comprised of mostly small shops and restaurants a train station and small parks. The area is quite mellow but despite the calmness there are many people out and walking about enjoying the evening. Families, kids, and the elderly are seen all around walking and enjoying the wonderful weather, sunset, or waiting outside restaurants. People are chatting and appreciating the company of friends and family. The area has a very casual and easy going vibe. When examining the before, during, or after shot of an event that has just transpired, I feel they each have their own unique qualities that make them very interesting to behold. Personally I enjoy the shots taken of things in the moment of execution. I tend to find the most interesting and surreal scenes that can only be captured by a camera, holding something in place from that split second of action. When presenting a viewer with only one from this series of events, then the viewer obviously lacks in seeing the entire scenario and therefore can only apply their own guess and judgement as to what is happening, what will happen, or what happened. Each of these moments differ significantly and being presented with only the before can leave the viewer guessing what will happen, while the ‘during’ shot will have the viewer captivated on the frozen moment and left to guess what could happen. Where the ‘after’ shot will have the viewer wondering what events led up to the image. I believe that when a viewer is presented with multiple views of something, like a before and after, there is always room for objectivity. This matters because this is what causes photography to be so multifarious in its use and the consequences of its use. Because it is always objective photography has a unique effect that keeps the viewer guessing and trying to discover the closest thing to truth.