2009-11-02

Out of the window


Geoff Dyer, in his highly recommendable book The Ongoing Moment, identifies certain subjects that tend to reappear, in one way or the other, throughout the history of photography. While he for example writes about doors, hats, and blind people, the look out of a window isn't mentioned. It definitely is a recurring theme, though, and I'd say there are even two significantly different categories of photos taken out of windows. One is about the search for structure, patterns, and beauty as in Sudek's pictures I already talked about, and one is about looking out into the world and trying to "frame" the feelings of the person behind the window. The most wonderful example of the second category I know is Robert Frank's view out of a hotel window in Butte, Montana.

This view out of a window in Volda, Norway - taken on October 21, 2009 with an Olympus 35 RD on XP2 - is, I think, also of the latter category - although far away from the immense power of Frank's photo. I'll leave it up to the viewer to figure out how I felt on that day.

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