China's Yangtze: Ancient Heritage, River Rising by Bill Zorn

From a portfolio titled China's Yangtze: Ancient Heritage, River Rising by Bill Zorn
Available in LensWork #39
© 2002 Bill Zorn. All rights reserved.
Reproduced with the permission of the photographer

This image from the cover of LensWork #39 has always been one of my favorites. It is deceptively simple, yet so rewarding to contemplate more deeply than one would guess at first sight. Why is the chair so small? Why is he sitting on it? Why does the landing he is sitting on slant toward the stone passage way? Where does the doorway lead to in the distance? Turning our attention to the man, what is that hat? He appears to be wearing a western style coat in defiance of the context of the image. And his shoes look out of proportion to the rest of his frail body. Why is he alone in this passage way. Is he asleep, or just lost in thought? If he is asleep, can you imagine being comfortable in that position?

There is so much about this photograph that looks instantly understandable — a man sitting and sleeping in the street — that is, until you really look at it. This is one of the things about photography that continually amazes and frustrates me. We live in a time in which photographic images are often consumed at a glance — a quick glance at that. I'm not talking about advertising images, but also so-called "fine art photographs." Watch someone in the photography section of the bookstore flip through the pages, judging a hundred or so images as being purchase-worthy or not in just a few seconds. Time how long people look at an image in a gallery setting. How long do you think people spend with a photograph on the typical photography website? Flit, flit, flit. We are like butterflies on speed. And yet, there is so much to be rewarded with when we spend a little time with an image and really look at it. Look and ask questions; look and imagine what it's like to be there; look and think. It's a rare gift we offer to a photographer and their work, but one often worth the time and effort.

Bill Zorn is featured in this LensWork Alumni Spotlight.

Comments

[Jim Bullard]

A friend told me recently that he liked my photos because they were "original" even when they were of familiar subjects. I don't think of my work as being original though. I'm just taking the time to see more of what is already there if we only take the time to see more deeply. Perhaps that cursory review in the bookstore to decide whether to purchase is a way of answering the question "Is this photographer showing things in a way I haven't seen them before?".

I see that as mastering the language of photography. Just like writing, one may have a different perspective but if they lack the skills to express it, the reader/viewer will not respond positively. At the same time however we seem to be caught up in a culture of "Hey, look at this" imagery, the value of which often doesn't extend beyond it's initial impact. The larger society is caught up in sensationalism for its own sake. I'm not sure how to change that.