gathering of photos than an intended show. The
photos are happenstance on the way to the main
event; a twist on the Zen approach that the journey is
as important as the destination. When I travel I try to
have the window seat and when I do, I end the trip with
incredible aches in my neck and back from constantly
twisting and looking out the window. I find the world
from that view point to be so breathtakingly magnificent
that I cannot restrain from looking. One day for fun I
pulled out my little Canon G2 digital camera and fired
over a 100 shots of the world passing by at hundreds
of miles per hour. When I downloaded the camera and
went through the images there may have been only 4
or 5 that stood out as good photos, but the process
stirred something in me that continues to this day.
There are many obstacles to this style of
photography: dirty or scratched windows, heavy haze,
the sun glaring in the window, reflections of the shiny
camera on the glass, the wing, propeller or jet stream
of the airplane, nighttime, or just thick dull clouds that
blanket the sky. Occasionally the photo gods smile and
all is in my favor and the images come out superbly
without intervention, but many times one or more of the
obstacles mentioned above need to be corrected in the
computer. I might remove the tip of a wing, clear away
scratches or dirt from the window, boost the contrast
and adjust colors to cut through the haze. This
sometimes results in grainy images and slightly
altered or intensified colors but I think the payoff is
worth it because otherwise we would not be able to
see the incredible image beyond the haze. None of the
photos have been cropped. Some could be improved if
they were but the limitations of the 4 meg resolution of
this camera keep me from making the images any
smaller than they are and still be able to print the
enlargements in the exhibition.
The photos certainly do not capture the magnitude
of the moment but they do allow me to share some of
the greatness I witness in my travels.
