Katherine Hall

I can’t describe why certain images stop me in my tracks. I can’t walk away from something that has tugged at my eyes and guts. I feel like I am attached to that scene and can’t walk too far away before the elastic twangs me back again. So I take out my camera, move in, usually closer and closer, and take a few shots, then the elastic snaps and I’m free to move on.

There was a time when I didn’t take pictures at all. I lived the vaguely solitary, reality + fantasy life of my early teens. On family holidays my brother would take pictures (he still does and teaches). I remember wanting to make the souvenirs myself, being jealous of his possession of the Family Camera and the results.

It was only later that I realised I couldn’t remember many bits of my life and responded by documenting places, activities and people more attentively. The old box of 4” x 6” glossy photographs holds so many memories that I can no longer find very easily inside my head. Now the 10 megapixel files on my computer are doing the same job. Anything not photographed will be forgotten.

But now that I routinely photograph trips or parties, I find that there are other things that I am drawn to. I am seeing and looking with a different kind of eye. I want to use this blog to help me understand what I am trying to get across in these new photos. What am I trying to say about the way I see the world? I have no formal photography education, so this blog is also a way of teaching myself and of finding a way to make more of what I love doing. I’d like to know your views and experiences. There are people I read on the right and I’m always looking for more. So get in touch.

Tags: i have to take pictures, memory, personal