robert_rex_jackson's photostream  

I like the ability a photograph can have to not only record a moment in time, but to impart some sense of the ambiance of that moment in time. I guess the thing I keep chasing is an instinct about how to best react to the moment. I take photos because it's fun for me, but I keep working on the craft because I still can't always capture images that ring true. It's funny in a way, because I look at photos I took when I was 7 with a Kodak Instamatic X-15 using Kodacolor 126 film and Magicubes and there's a sense of immediacy that I seem to have lost over the years. I want to "shoot dumb" but I often seem to fail in both my pursuit for greater technical mastery of the medium while simultaneously failing to react to the moment. It's an odd balance to find. I have a degree in film production, but sometimes I think that the sense of 'hic et nunc' is almost more useful. So I keep working at it. What else could be more enjoyable?

FWIW, I don't really understand art-y photography. I see beautiful examples of landscapes and glamor shots and I like seeing what others can do along those lines. I really only shoot to document things, though. A camera is a utensil for me. I wish I could be more of an "artist" and less of a mechanic about it sometimes. I take photos to document moments. For instance, I like photographing musicians because it's a portrait of someone doing something that's (usually) enjoyable for them. Maybe someday I'll discover an aesthetic that allows me to document life while making pretty, art-sy images. That would be cool.

Someone recently asked me if I take photos of musicians because I want to hang out with the bands. This is an odd one for me. I'd actually rather not meet the musicians most of the time. I'm frequently uncomfortable with the forced pleasantries that pressing the flesh requires of public figures. I mean, it's different if I know a band and they want me to photograph them. Then I have a great time. But meeting some guys and trying to extend my appreciation for their music into palling around or something is just strange. Cobain was right, "With the lights out it's less dangerous." Years ago I remember really enjoying a Black Crowes show at Maritime Hall in San Francisco and the house lights came up for some reason. Suddenly I wasn't just a guy really enjoying a show anymore. I was a guy pushing 40 standing face-to-face with some guys working a room full of kids. I was a lot happier when the lights went back off.

Oh, by the way, I was born in January of 1965. For many of you that makes me unimaginably old. Like, older than your parents old. Which is OK. I just hope I don't start talking about how hard it is to figure out how these new-fangled cameras work. Then it will start to be an issue.