But pictures aren't what this post is about.
Most of my pictures are lousy. I love to take photos (although I'm certainly no expert), and I keep a decent DSLR camera with different lenses and attachments in order to produce a moderately nice result (although I'm certainly no professional).
And yet, most of my pictures are lousy. And that's okay.
Spending almost the entire day running around Vienna and taking pictures, I had a lot of time to think about what I was doing and why, what it means to me. And for me, photography is something that bears more in common with art than for many other people I know. There's a difference between snapping a picture on a phone or a quick point-and-shoot, and really searching and striving for a unique view of a place, a person, or a memory.
Not everyone has a philosophy when they settle behind the viewfinder on a camera, and that's certainly alright. Everyone takes pictures for different reasons, at different times, and in different ways. Personally, I feel like when I take a picture, I want it to be unique. I will suffer through dozens after dozens of photos that don't look good, don't line up right, don't seem to actually capture the subject ... if it means capturing that one unique shot. Because when I look back at that image later it makes me feel like "either nobody has captured this subject this way before, or others have decided that other views were better / more attractive / insert whatever adjective or description you want ... ... but this view, from this angle, in this light ... this is mine. The feeling of satisfaction and joy from that realization makes the memory -- and I'll be the very first to admit that it could be full of crap. That photo could have been taken dozens of times before or seen by hundreds of people over years and years ... but it feels unique and special to me, for reasons that only I know. And that's important.
Some of my favorite pictures of all time were the strange ones, the ones that people didn't notice or felt were lesser than other options. I remember scaling a set of large but awkward rocks on Cape Sounion at the farthest tip of Greece in order to brace against a fall of a couple-hundred feet to take a profile picture of the Temple of Poseidon that nobody else took that day. Seeing that image makes me instantly relive the inspiration that the profile could be captured from that angle, the sheer terror of looking down into the cape, and everything else from that day.
I should be so fortunate to have some pictures from Vienna recreate those feelings.
One of the unfortunate results of searching for those kinds of memories is that the search can be isolating. As uplifting and fantastic as running around Vienna was today, it still felt lonely at times. Therein lies the trade off: point-and-shoot and phone grabs are usually taken to capture our times spent with others. And that's what's missing from this city and this trip so far. The shared experiences. The memories with other people. Friends. Family. And love. This isn't a boo-hoo kind of moment I'm trying to write (although hell, its obviously part of what I'm feeling as of typing), but just an observation.
The time we spend together creates more perfect memories than can be captured on film or file.
That said, I would encourage anyone who enjoys photography to visit this city. It is entirely begging to be photographed at just about every corner, from historic churches to famous opera houses or concert halls to beautiful natural scenery, and of course it is a midpoint to so much of central Europe. Bring comfortable walking shoes. Bring your favorite or your best camera. But most importantly, seek or bring good company to enjoy it with.
Updated 5/26/13 10:15 pm --
I may want to adjust the colors a little bit to punch up the contrast, make the blue and the red especially jump ... but after a whole day of searching and about 100 pictures in an hour or two, I think this is the closest to what I'm talking about. Personal and meaningful to me:
