Photo Obsession

By Liz West

I am obsessed with ladyslippers. These native orchids grow wild in a nearby woodland, and every May I stalk them with my camera. I’ve done this for years, long before the advent of digital imagery. I have dozens of pictures of ladyslippers…all of them beautiful, all of them similar.

Photo By Liz West

If ladyslippers were my only photo obsession, I'd shrug. However, they are just one of many subjects I'm drawn to photograph repeatedly. I'm also obsessed with violets, with a local meadow, with citrus fruits, with my cats, with shadows, with icicles.

My kids were the first to remark on this. I dislike the cold, so they probably noted how weird it was that year after year I would stand outside in my bathrobe, focusing my lens on glittering icicles. Later I'd show them my photos, and they'd glance at each other and remind me that I'd taken nearly identical pictures the preceding winter…and every winter before that.

I’d reply that Claude Monet secured his fame by persistently painting haystacks.

Photo By Liz West

In my heart, though, I knew there is a difference. Monet's haystack fascination had a clear purpose: to explore variations of light and color. My purpose is murkier. In fact, I’ve never been able to explain it exactly, although I may be getting close.

One goal is to try to capture a visual experience to share or enjoy later. For example, I go out one morning and see several violets that have sprung up. I notice the contrast between the rich emerald leaves and the tiny purple blossoms; I smile at the lovely curve of stems. Then I grab my camera.

Sometimes the pictures are good, accurately revealing the contrast and the curves--the beauty--of the flowers. Yet that doesn't seem to be enough. I continue to shoot annually. This suggests that capturing the image is not my sole purpose.

I think I’m really trying to capture the true essence of these subjects, and my own responses to them. This encompasses far more than merely faithfully representing a moment of beauty. It includes the life span of each icicle, from first drip to dangerous dagger. It involves every sense—the perfume of a lilac, the juiciness of a grapefruit, the snap of midwinter air.

Photo By Liz West

Most importantly, the photographs are an attempt to preserve an emotion—how my heart lifts or my breath catches.

This may explain why my photo obsessions continue for years. I am not the same person I was last year, so my response differs as well. Today, I am more aware of the fragility of life. Consequently, I never take for granted the sight of a blooming violet or the company of my cats. I am aware of what a precious gift each is.

When I set out on my annual ladyslipper photoshoot, I am not trying to capture only their pink loveliness. I am trying enshrine the entire experience, unique to that day. Songwriter Jim Croce described the urge to save time in a bottle. I know that urge. I guess I use my camera and try to save time in a photograph.