Today I’ve been thinking about photography and how it shows the texture of our lives. Instagram feeds are like a tapestry – a tapestry of our interests, the things we notice, the people and places we have in our lives. Sometimes I wish we could reach out and touch a photograph and feel the things we see – the crunchy leaves in an autumn photograph, the silky petals of a spring flower – or taste the food that is right in front of us, yet intangible. I’m sure I’m not the only one who gets food envy on Instagram! Taking the tapestry thing further – rather than sewing a quilt to pass down to generations, are we photographing a quilt?
The resolution of photography now means that we can see texture more clearly. It means that things that would have been blurry are much sharper. Do photos capture moments, or do they capture something else – a piece of us, perhaps? Of course the fascinations and obsessions of a photographer dictate what is captured. Some things will have deeper meaning, whilst other things will be superficial, momentary and fleeting. Some photos are part of a structured project, whilst others document everyday life.
This has made me think about how making photography an everyday occurrence with photo a day projects helps to sharpen our 
powers of observation. I’ve noticed how I’m beginning to strive to find more interesting things to photograph, to document the things around me in new ways. I want to capture the texture of my life, the things I see everyday but might not notice as much if I wasn’t taking photos. Have we all become more attuned to this capturing? Bloggers and people who use social media are definitely more vigilant about photography, interested in seeking inspiration from what is around us. I’ve noticed that on days that I’m not making much of an effort, I will unwittingly take a photo of something that I’ve already taken a photo of a while ago – but they are not the same photo. No two photographs are exactly the same.
So – what do you use to capture the texture of your life? Is photography important to you? What does ‘texture’ mean to you?
Little moments can have a feeling and texture that is very real. – Ralph Fiennes.
Cats and Chocolate 
Your post makes me want to look into Instagram, where I’ve been avoiding doing so. I’ve always considered myself a word person but blogging has definitely helped me increase my visual spectrum. As I watch for photo ops that I could use on my blog, or inspiration for writing in the things I observe, I find I’m noticing the “texture” of everyday things and experiences with more clarity, more detail, a sharper focus. If I can capture in words what a photo does visually then I feel I’ve succeeded in my writing that day, even if it’s only a sentence. Texture is the detail, the nuance and the substance all wrapped into one.
LikeLike