March 08, 2009

stand still

I was working as a poorly paid house manager for an Off-Broadway theater company. To keep me on the staff, they hired me as the House Photographer. I'd never taken photos professionally before. I didn't really know what I was doing. I still don't. Somehow, photography jobs (all unpaid) keep falling into my lap. I want to make myself a better photographer. I will post photos as I work and experiment. Hopefully over time I'll be able to see some progress. Let me know what you think!

On the title...

Paul Schmidt, one of my favorite literary translators, took on the works of Arthur Rimbaud, one of my favorite poets. One line that has always sent my imagination wild was the way he translated a line from Une Saison en Enfer / A Season in Hell.

Rimbaud wrote...

"Ce fut d'abord une étude. J'écrivais des silences, des nuits, je notais l'inexprimable. Je fixais des vertiges."

Schmidt translated...

"I began it as an investigation. I turned silences and nights into words. What was unutterable, I wrote down. I made the whirling world stand still."

It still takes my breath away. It's also how I've always thought of good photography. I hope to someday make the whirling world stand still.

3 comments:

  1. I'm sure you will succeed!

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  2. that quote is stunning. I love it. your photos so far have been really great....

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