DO YOU FEEL INCLUDED?
Judith Hörster
Photography is technically a solo profession. Hence I have been asked a few times, while I’m standing in a crowd with my camera around my neck, if I ever feel left out.
The answer is no. Being able to wander around capturing moments, smiles, and memories makes me feel more included than anything else. Sometimes people and gatherings scare me—I’m not particularly good at small talk and I don’t know where to put my hands. My camera becomes my anchor, grounding me and giving me the opportunity to escape into a parallel world. Physically, I’m right here, but at the same time, I’m watching from the outside.
I don’t own a lot of fancy equipment. My dad always told me that it was more about ‘having an eye for things’ and less about the camera you use. I agree. Admittedly, there are many people who know more about cameras and how to use them than I do, but even when the settings are correct and the angle ticks the compositional boxes, if you do not possess the eye for the perfect moment, something will always be missing.
When people look at my photographs, I want them to feel something. I want them to relive their greatest memories, or tear up because the captured person is right in front of them. With these photos, I want my audience to hear the busy traffic and smell the hot summer air as they stand in front of the stage.
The occasional blurriness of my photos does sometimes make me wonder whether I would benefit from a better camera. However, at the end of the day what I most care about is not how my photos turn out. What I care most about is that people feel drawn together, and included in my parallel world.
This article first appeared in PRISMA, Issue 10.