Albums and tracks

I listen to a lot of music while I’m working. Currently, two of my favorite singers are: India.Arie and Corrinne Baily Rae. Their music carries about it a bareness. That is they sing about life as they are experiencing it. Unadorned. Unadulterated. Honestly. They sing about the good times, the not so good times, and the bad. Often, some of the best albums come from the depths of despair or disillusionment.

Their music has the ability to take me away to another place; to share in their pain; the laughter, and their experiences. For me, this is great music. It has the power to move. Sometimes a musical compilation, or album, can be a fantastic testament to an artist. If it’s your cup of tea, check out India.Arie’s Testimony Vol. 1 an album about self love and personal voyage, hope, and forgiveness . One of the few albums that I’ve come across where I liked the entire album. I’ve liked all of her albums.

Music has the advantage of words. We can all insert our individual experiences and seemingly relate to the music. Is this so with photography? I think so. Immediately, I cannot think of a single photograph that has affected me this way, but there probably has been.

There have been times when I’ve been out photographing and have been stripped bare, so to speak. That is, I’ve been out shooting, baring my soul, at one with whatever I’m shooting. I find that this is readily apparent when I go to the zoo. I just have so much love for the animals there and I think that it comes through in my photography. The same seems to be true for the mountains.

I seem to be less conversant when photographing my daily experiences, or perhaps that’s that little bit of faith needed to keep going because, picture by picture, you don’t necessarily get the type of feedback that assures you that you are going in the right direction. You just have to believe it without having that feedback. Faith.

My current experience is starting to reveal itself. What does that mean? Well, when I first landed here in Charleston, I arrived as a tourist, even though I came here to work. Now, some 7 weeks in. I have a life here. Sure, it’s a 5-day week kind of life, but a life nonetheless. My eyes are starting to open to my daily life. No longer do I feel compelled to run to the beach to take pictures. There’s more here than just the beach,or the historic markers downtown. My life is evolving. Layers are being removed. The bareness is coming, I think. We’ll see. It’s a continuing journey.

I guess to draw a connection to music, I’m in the studio developing my album of my daily current life. Sometimes I hit upon a ‘track’ right away that I know feels right for me. Other times, it’s a soul searching journey requiring lots and lots of faith. It’s a good thing to be unsure sometimes, but to keep following that invisible path, that feeling, that faith.