Lady Vervaine
Disappearing // A Short Story // 4 of 4
But then something unexpected happened. It seems that the act of writing to me about his disappearance had opened something up in him. Soon after, he wrote again, telling me that he'd found himself in a camera shop, buying film for the first time in ages – and picking up a new Diana while he was at it! And now he's back on Flickr, posting his photographs again for us all to see.
You can't imagine how happy this makes me. And yet this story has left me thinking that perhaps the photographs aren't the most important thing here. Sure, I'm still gutted about Polaroid. The idea that this film will disappear in a year's time tears me to pieces whenever I think about it. But isn't it ultimately just a means to an end? The end being to reach out to others, to make contact, to communicate our visions of the world to one another. I've learned that you don't necessarily need film to make photographs; and that we don't necessarily need photographs to share ways of seeing more intensely and being in the world with each other.
When all the Polaroid in existence has expired, we'll find another way to do that. When all the film in the world has gone, and photography is ancient history, we'll find something else, another medium. I don't know what it will be, but I have an image for it in my mind now, and it brings me more comfort than I can say.
It's a human hand, reaching out.
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This story is based on true events, and some acknowledgements are in order. The person who inspired this story goes by the name of thespeak. You can visit his stream here; and if you like, you can read the email he wrote me here.
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Disappearing // A Short Story // 4 of 4
But then something unexpected happened. It seems that the act of writing to me about his disappearance had opened something up in him. Soon after, he wrote again, telling me that he'd found himself in a camera shop, buying film for the first time in ages – and picking up a new Diana while he was at it! And now he's back on Flickr, posting his photographs again for us all to see.
You can't imagine how happy this makes me. And yet this story has left me thinking that perhaps the photographs aren't the most important thing here. Sure, I'm still gutted about Polaroid. The idea that this film will disappear in a year's time tears me to pieces whenever I think about it. But isn't it ultimately just a means to an end? The end being to reach out to others, to make contact, to communicate our visions of the world to one another. I've learned that you don't necessarily need film to make photographs; and that we don't necessarily need photographs to share ways of seeing more intensely and being in the world with each other.
When all the Polaroid in existence has expired, we'll find another way to do that. When all the film in the world has gone, and photography is ancient history, we'll find something else, another medium. I don't know what it will be, but I have an image for it in my mind now, and it brings me more comfort than I can say.
It's a human hand, reaching out.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
This story is based on true events, and some acknowledgements are in order. The person who inspired this story goes by the name of thespeak. You can visit his stream here; and if you like, you can read the email he wrote me here.
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