Monochrome Mania #5 - Lens Dreams

What is it about memories and photography? I know that when I see a photograph that I have taken, I’ll usually remember the situation or place or when I made it, just by seeing the image. If you asked me where I was at a particular time, I probably could not tell you. However, an image can immediately wake those neurons and give me pretty good recall of the event or place. We are used to photographs that are pretty much “perfect” in that the exposure is good, the detail sharp, and the subject recognizable. Our memories, however, are not as good as the photographs. Memories fade, events become blurred, and timelines are not exact. As I have grown older, I realize that there are events that I just cannot remember – possibly because they were trivial at the time, and as people sometimes say “Photos, or it didn’t happen.” 

 My thoughts on doing Lens Dreams are to show that photography can mimic memory. Images can be fuzzy, dreamlike, out-of-focus – much like memory, and that is my aim here. I know that the term “Lens of Nostalgia” could also be used, here, but that imparts a different feeling, one that has been attributed to toy camera photographs, and those using older techniques and processes. Is nostalgia bad? I don’t think so – in today’s world of instant gratification and an endless parade of digital perfection, many people, including myself, see reality differently.

My latest Monochrome Mania was all done with Lensbaby and other imperfect optics that give me the dreamy look that I wanted. Images date from 2007 to the present year, collected in a 36 page zine with covers. I am really pleased with my latest effort, and I hope that you'll enjoy it, too.  You can purchase it directly from my Etsy store for $12 with free shipping in the USA, and $6 additional for outside the US for International First Class.  I won't be shipping any orders until after July 26, as I'll be away.