Observing the Ordinary

Digital media has opened the doors to what we are able to capture. In many ways, I think that it’s also increased our desire to do so. Imagine the time where you had to hire a photographer to take pictures of your newborn child. This event was no longer ordinary – it took a lot of preparation to plan and to execute. No one ever smiles in old photographs because there’s nothing to smile about. They’ve been sitting in the same position for the past twenty minutes for one simple photo. Contrast this with present day where we can take a picture or video of literally anything we want, no matter how trivial it may seem. No money or time is wasted, we just have to push one button on a digital camera and the fruits of our labors are immediately at our disposal. This provides a lot of opportunities for us to study something ordinary in a closer way. When we see a picture of a tree, we can study it and see if we react to it at all.

One of the best things about digital media is the amount of exposure it provides. I’m going to keep saying this because I think it’s really cool. I love being able to see things in people’s lives that they think are ordinary, but are completely new to me. I would love to be able to show someone a part of my life that I take for granted, but will give them a sense of awe or appreciation.

I was really struggling thinking of someone who uses the digital medium to successfully capture the ordinary. Thankfully, my wife has been consistently scrolling through our wedding photos this past week, for whatever reason. I walked into the room when a simple picture of her wedding shoes was on the screen, larger than life. I was taken aback by how beautiful the photo was. Then I was taken aback by feeling this way. It was only a picture of shoes without feet, but they seemed occupied, as if they still had a life of their own. It’s hard to explain. Long story short, wedding photographers (or at least ours) were able to perfectly capture some horribly ordinary moments and make beautiful works of art out of them. Whether it was shoes standing by a couch or a random Aunt helping to set up, every picture has detail and emotion to it.

Essay – The Burger

I stand at the grill, awaiting a reason to cook. People come in the door, which thankfully starts the process. How many patties will they order? Two for boys, and one for girls. Are they old? Then one and one. Or a hot dog; they love hot dogs, as long as mustard and relish are included. Children? Better hold off. Maybe start a grilled cheese or a hot dog, this time with no condiments. Or only ketchup, a child’s best friend. There’s a distinctive sizzle that sounds once the meat hits the grill. We’re told this is how we know the grill is hot enough. The grill is always hot enough. While cooking, a few seconds make a big difference. If you flip too early, it curls in section two, resulting in a shriveled hockey-puck of a patty. If you flip too late, it cooks uneven on one side and looks like a bunch of sewn together ground beef. Regardless, section two is where they need to bleed, until they reach the safety of section three. Here, they mature completely, ready to face the challenges of the outside world. With a swing and a shout, I guide the developed patty to its new home, a warm and short lived stint in someone’s stomach.