Time Is Curiously Blurred

My life seems to have been recorded like a slow shutter speed, where everything in the past has become a blur, and the transcendence of the experience becomes the connective tissue binding past and present. My photography is the best visual evidence of my life.

Time is a curious phenomenon, with some saying it is a human construct. As we age, it seems to accelerate, each year passing more swiftly than the last. For me, this paradox is captured through photography. 

Aging is a universal experience, yet it is uniquely personal. In our youth, days feel endless, summers stretch out like infinity, and waiting a week for something can seem like an eternity. However, as we grow older, our perception of time shifts. Weeks blur into months and months into years. This phenomenon is often attributed to the proportional theory of time perception: when you are ten years old, a year is 10% of your life; at fifty, it is only 2%. Thus, each year feels shorter relative to the totality of your experience.

As we get old, our own experience of time can feel like a slow shutter speed. Moments of joy and sorrow, triumph and defeat, blend together, creating a rich tapestry of memories. Each experience, no matter how fleeting, contributes to the overall picture of our lives. Like a photograph with a slow shutter speed, our lives become a blur of movement, capturing the essence of time passing. Yet, amidst this blur, there are moments of sharp focus—those decisive moments that stand out with clarity and precision. These are the moments we remember vividly.  

Photography offers a powerful metaphor for the experience of aging. Just as a photographer manipulates time to create a compelling image, we, too, can find beauty and meaning in the passage of time. Whether time seems to fly or crawl, each moment connects to the larger picture, contributing to the story of our lives. As we age, we learn to appreciate the slow shutter speed of life, finding grace and beauty in the blur of time.

The great strength of photography comes from the connected experiences of a life well lived, a life that is blurred by the vagaries of unexpected, powerful, and emotional experiences.

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