A shutter of time
A door closes. A window opens. There are many forms of shutters in everyday life. The word shutter, meaning a hinged panel, describes something blocking light from passing through. In Middle English, the word originated in the 1540s describing ‘one who shuts’. But how does this word relate to myself in today’s world?
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Window shutters are boring. Who cares about them? Window shutters are an overlooked creation that has deeper meaning. Shutters are used to regulate light coming through windows around a house. Shutters regulate. Using shutters throughout one’s life is the only way to regulate the good and the bad, and allowing what’s needed to get through while shutting out what’s not needed. This can always be changed, as we can let new things in to try. Shutters can also be made from different materials. Wood, metal, plastic, every shutter has its pros and cons. Different materials come with strengths and weaknesses. This is identical to shutters in life, as we must fight against weaknesses and ensure only necessary aspects are passing through. Window shutters are only one example of the true purpose of what ‘shutters’ truly are.
Shutters allow photographers to capture that certain moment.
Photography is the creation of images by letting light pass through a lens and hitting a sensor. Every photo is unique, through a photo’s subject, environment, or aspect. The way the photo is taken also plays a key role. Cameras can use different lenses, apertures, lighting, and shutter speed. Shutter. Shutters allow photographers to capture that certain moment.
I take my camera almost everywhere I go. Photography allows me to capture moments in my life, creating a memory that can be kept. Getting those memories caught in the best way takes skill and practice. But to do this, cameras activate a shutter to control how much light reaches the sensor. Camera shutters are what make up every actuation of a camera. The user can adjust the shutter speed and get different results depending on the end goal. Lengthen the shutter speed, combine more time into one image. Shorten the shutter speed, catch a split second in time. This specific ability in photography is the largest factor in creating the right image, and I strive everyday to master this skill.
Photography is an expression.
I ask myself what photography means to me. Photography is an expression. A viewer can read the tone and message displayed by any single photo. In every photo I take, I try to create these messages and ideas within the collection of pixels that make up an image. To see how I do this, I look through photos that I’ve taken in the past. Smiles on people’s faces. Athletes making a play they’ve been practicing. Surfers catching their wave of the day. Emotion displays the strongest message through any single photo. One’s gestures or expressions describe the exact emotions they feel in a moment of time. How do we read these emotions? Take a quick photo. Bump up the shutter speed and capture an exact moment. Shutters are the way we see life. Shutters allow us to control the environment we see, experience, or display. Shutters are one of life’s many tools that we must utilize along the way.
