Over the last many years, it’s felt like a degradation in value with photos and imagery. Smartphones started producing better and better images, free stock photo sites were popping up left and right, and then AI image generation started clearing the table. To many, it might seem like imagery isn’t worth a damn penny.
While all of that is true, and I take advantage of those technologies myself, I do believe there’s tons of value in carefully composed images and documenting important moments. And when I said ‘penny’, we should make a distinction between price and value.
To me, photographs, illustrations, and many paintings have always had this magic of capturing my attention and admiration. There’s something permanent about them. When faced with an interesting piece, you can just watch, admire, analyze, and even ‘read’ an image. I’ve always shared the view that images can tell a story.
Who is in the picture? Where are they? What are they doing, feeling, or going through? How do the surroundings and the setting relate to what’s happening? What are they thinking? What was the photographer thinking? Why did the photographer grab the picture just the way they did? What’s the thought process behind the composition? Why is the light the way it is? What’s the story?
Perhaps people tend to interpret pictures a bit differently. The story that’s in your mind might differ from the person next to you. For better or worse, there’s always a level of interpretation.
Sometimes it can just be the colors, or that special something you can’t explain. Call it a vibe, maybe. Still, your fascination and attention is there. Your relationship with an image can be entirely personal. You might have a certain sensitivity to something that’s there.
It’s not that uncommon to hear someone feeling emotional about a picture. Of course, depending on what the topic or their connection to it is. Music, films, or books can have the same effect.
Put all of the above together and it starts to become clear why images can feel incredibly fascinating. At first, I was going to phrase that by saying ‘it starts to make sense’, but decided against it. It doesn’t have to make sense. Most often, it’s the case where you don’t choose your medium or craft. They end up choosing you.
