The Existential Tension of Photography
Posted on November 22, 2005 Posted by John Scalzi 23 Comments
It is thus:
Sometimes you want to take pictures of majestic clouds rolling across the sky.
Sometimes you want to take pictures of your dog eating leftover chili in the bathtub.
Discuss.
large dog – he makes your tub look cramped!
Okay, I’ll bite. Why was there leftover chili in the bathtub?
Well, where else should it be?
Inside your dog, obviously!
Well, it is now! For a while, at least.
Well nuts, I guess my leftover chili is in trouble, then… I’ve been keeping it in the fridge like a complete fool! Thank goodness John’s here to help me keep my head on straight!
Magestic clouds: pretty, but a dime a dozen, predictable. Dull.
Large dog + bathtub + chili: not as pretty as a magestic sky, but at least it’s unique.
If those two sentences were the opening lines of a book, I believe I would read and love that book.
That is a mighty clean bathtub!
Oh. I hear ya.
Seriously.
Your photoshop mission, if you choose to accept it: doggy in the sky, with chili.
I don’t know whether I should laugh or adopt a glum, thoughtful expression on my face.
But I’ll laugh. Bwahahahahahaahahaha.
I’m tempted to go into a long exposition here, detailing how the dog eating chili in the bathtub holds some sort of epochal, life-altering symbolism regarding the ultimate futility of man’s existence in the universe.
But I won’t, because I’m tired.
Black & white would have really captured the moment, though. ;)
The first thought that came to my mind? Dog eating chili – thank goodness he’s in a self-contained, impermeable and hosable environment. I’m just saying.
the dog in tub is only amusing if she’s never done it before. but something tells me she hangs around the bathroom after a chili dinner. ‘fess up. :-)
as for the sky. i find it interesting that after getting views like that of you backyard every day, you still are in awe of it. what is it about skies and large landscapes that is so appealing to humans? i just can’t figure out the evolutionary benfit of a nice sunset – happy to still be alive? hmm. :-/
Charlie:
“i find it interesting that after getting views like that of you backyard every day, you still are in awe of it.”
Well, I get a view of my wife everyday and I’m still in awe of her, too. Beauty works for me, in whatever form.
Beatles, right?
Picture yourself with some fur and a collar,
with white plastic walls and colored shampoo;
Somebody calls you, you bark at him softly,
a man with a cold bowl of food.
Doggy in the sky with chilli…
Doggy in the sky with chilli…
Doggy in the sky with chilli…
Ahhh……..
Y’know, it’s the irresponsible owners who allow their dogs to eat chili out of the bathtub & otherwise behave like…um, animals, that give the rest of us who are trying to rear our pets in a responsible & respectful manner a bad name.
Somebody should post a sign about this.
btw, if this were Fark, somebody would make a comment about “rearing pets,” but this is not Fark & I’ve already done it for you.
Stacy beat me to the punch, but she’s right: that is one awfully clean bathtub.
What do you use to clean it: red fuming nitric acid?
We just let the dog lick it clean.
I wonder why nature pictures are considered boring. Is it because those who consider themselves intellectuals believe that to enjoy the physical world is banal, dull, common, and frankly overdone?
Makes me glad I’m a “recovering” intellectual.
(I like the stripey dog!)
I like both. Of course, you have to pay later for the doggy chili…one way or another.
Of course, your no stranger to existential weirdness in your photos. Clone daughters? Makes the mind spin…
Nature is compelling to humans because it can be dull, inspirational, breath-taking, and ordinary. Humans themselves go through similiar phases and thus find comfort and a connection with nature.