Seeing Takes Time

I spent yesterday morning with a cup of coffee at the local marina, staring at the boats and the light and breathing it in, my deep pleasure at doing nothing at all spoiled only by an apple croissant that was, in fact, filled with marzipan. A nice surprise if you like marzipan, but I think it tastes like the inside of a goat. Still, the quiet was good for me. I drove home to find an email from a friend which included a link to this video about JW Turner, Ernst Haas, and Venice, and that kicked off a series of reflections about that city I have loved and photographed for so long, and some meditations about the craft that has evolved for me as I have done so. In the 24 hours since I watched that video, the thoughts that keep resurfacing are about the value of slowing down and falling in love, and perhaps if you’re sitting there now with a cup of coffee of your own, these thoughts will take you somewhere, too. Stick with me because this one isn’t linear—it drifts a bit. Photography, as a…