Navigation Menu+

AweStruck

“He who can no longer pause to wonder and stand rapt in awe, is as good as dead; his eyes are closed.”
-Albert Einstein

How often do I pay attention to the beauty that surrounds me? Am I actively looking for it, or do I expect it to find me? I took a photo one day by accident. I placed my camera against a telephone pole and clicked. I didn’t think twice about composition or lighting, but when I developed the roll of film I saw something. Something I had been waiting to see for longer than I realized.

I was awestruck.

I discovered an abstract geometrical beauty that had been hiding above my head. I’ve always been fascinated by power lines and how cables connect everything. There is something magical about my ability to block from my vision this complex labyrinth of wires and poles that covers everything. I spend most of my time with these shapes and lines in my blind spot. It’s not until I make the conscious choice to be aware of them that I open myself to this beauty that is everywhere.

The process of taking these pictures becomes a spiritual experience. Walk down the street, pause at each telephone pole. Look up. Spend time looking and trying to find the view that speaks with the most authority. Take the picture. Move on; repeat the process. I was walking down streets that I’ve driven hundreds of times, but now I was intentionally searching out the beautiful.

These are post-modern portraits. Through deconstruction and reassembly I found the soul in a seemingly soulless mechanically produced object. This reminds me that if I’m willing to step out and engage the process, there is an infinite supply of wonder and awe to behold.