On this morning’s walk I chose music over prose. The brooding plot of D.H. Lawrence’s Lady Chatterley’s Lover in all the consideration before action seems quite bleak and maybe the story is written intentionally so that renewal in physical sensuality is highlighted against the mundane existence of day-to-day life.
Music suited me better in the initiation of the day. Robbie Robertson played first, then Bruce Cockburn and U2, then on to Roxy Music and The Tragically Hip, all on my genius playlist beginning with Sweet Fire of Love. Then, in combination with thought about this photograph Sting begins on a song called The Soul Cages. For as much as the song’s lyrics refer to our humanoid condition here on earth I was drawn to consider whether or not a camera is another soul cage. I’m thinking that a camera is a tool that cages the soul within the photograph produced in that it encapsulates a moment of time, recording Life status and history in whatever condition we or the world were in – good or bad.
The camera photographed here is a Leica. A while back, Maciek Sokulski encouraged his Shuttertime with Sid and Mac podcast listeners to purchase an older camera, one that causes you to think about photography beyond the digital means, a camera with which to use your honed knowledge/skills of photography and to exercise expertise and skill in creating good photographs without waste. This Leica is my father’s from the early sixties. It is a camera that was used technically in the production of plastic and was used as part of the process to view at a microscopic level the grade/quality of plastics at an Edmonton plastics plant. It is a Leica without a viewfinder and is something my brothers and I should try out one of these days to see how it shoots. Maybe we will give it a try this summer.
Listening to – Robbie Robertson’s Soap Box Preacher, Amanda Marshall’s Sitting On Top of the World, Jann Arden’s The Sound Of, U2’s I Fall Down, Joan Osborne’s Man in the Long Black Coat and Neil Young’s When God Made Me.
Quote to Inspire – “Photography is a way of feeling, of touching, of loving. What you have caught on film is captured forever … it remembers little things, long after you have forgotten everything.” – Aaron Siskind
In My Back Pocket - Photography 
“…a camera is a tool that cages the soul…” – love that. And am going to check out The Soul Cages, and ..Sid and Mac. Thanks for sharing this 🙂
Hi Colleen:
A tool that cages the soul – there’s connection to the previous post’s quote to inspire in terms of representation and encapsulating secret. Sid and Mac’s Shuttertime podcast is a curious mix of good humour, opinion, technical knowledge and inspiration … good, good schtuff.
Thanks for looking in ….
Oh my….this post is thrilling to me. To think of my photographs as a soul cage is thought provokiing! Need to go take a deep breath and ponder this. And I love Sting..but I’m not familiar with this song; will have to go look it up and listen to it now.
Hey there, Angeline:
Sting’s ‘The Soul Cages’ does highlight more than our mortal coil; the lyrics also draw on the idea of bondages – how we place ourselves within bondages and how these limit the soul’s expression and movement. And, these are very minor things that end up anchoring or caging the soul – agreeing to go into debt, working as hireling … different agreements, our promise to act in a certain way – things constraining unhindered soul expression. A starting point for thought work, here.
Thanks for looking in ….
I’ll be looking forward to seeing those images from this Leica. It looks like it has two hot shoes, right? And no viewfinder????
Hey there, Gina:
I’m wondering about the double hot shoes, too – would they have made an attachment viewfinder for use with the hot shoes? Curious stuff … I’ll be doing some research, if one of my brothers hasn’t already. And, yes, I’m interested in seeing about the quality in the images produced.
I’ve been loving your blog! You are nominated for the Versatile Blogger award: http://365photosbyjeremy.wordpress.com/2012/04/28/day-119-28-april-2012-sun-and-sand/ Keep up the inspiring work!!
Totally an interesting day, yesterday – to post and then to return later and have not just Gina from The Regina Chronicles nominate my photoblog for an award, but also to receive nomination from you for the Versatile blogger award. Thank you Jeremy for this nomination and for the intrigue and interest you take the In My Back Pocket – Photography photoblog. More than you know the tribute/nomination hits home well. I am grateful.