dayleclavin

May I introduce my new friend, Leo, son of my niece Rachel, a  9 month old citizen of the world, innocent, perfect, joyful,  happy and above all curious!

As a photographer, it was a joy to capture a Leo’s radiance,so authentic, so very fresh and truthful that one needs  only  to record it at any given moment in time.. But up and beyond that, I was  aware of the fact that Leo’s attention was  centered around discovery of his world.. And as a photographer there isn’t anything more important than this.. it is known as the art of seeing. Leo examined everything in his field of view with such undivided attention, with such fascination, that  I began to ask myself if I had missed seeing something  myself: a crack on the wall, a cloud outside the window, a book on the table… a speck of dust, reflecting light perhaps? And so I began to watch Leo view the world through  the youngest and freshest of  eyes and in doing this, I began to notice what he was seeing, so small and unworthy of any mention by the adult world. We strive to push our imagery to the limits, to engage the viewer by presenting  none less than “the stupendous” and in doing so, over time dull our senses , making us ever so demanding in order to be satisfied, and ever so blind to the small wonders.

I am thankful for the experience of being reminded by a baby that the world  around me, very close by, is worth looking at.

I am not sure I am  willing to give up my vision many decades older than Leo’s, but I am sure that less is more.