Feeling small

#98: Musing on grand views and making pictures in their presence, ft. photos from the American Southwest

“Fortunately, we do occasionally catch a glimpse of wholeness, however ephemeral. We experience moments of transcendence when a rich formal relationship is felt as its equivalent: beauty…

The glimpse is not without its cost. The transience of our epiphanies is a melancholy reminder (painful, but not entirely so) of our actual bodily transience in this world.”

TIM CARPENTER, TO PHOTOGRAPH IS TO LEARN HOW TO DIE

There is nothing quite accurate to be said for the beauty of the Grand Canyon. There is no photo that could relay its absolute magnificence.

Most of my time making photos, I try to focus on that which is overlooked. Revealing beauty in small and menial things is quite easy and natural if you know how to see.

But the Canyon baffles, and as a photographer, the truth is that there is no beauty that you are actually able to reveal. Completely surrendered in its presence, I found myself option-less. I can not capture — I can only be captured. I cannot reveal its beauty — I can only feel it.

This was my third time in the Canyon, and while I was well-prepared to be rocked, it hit harder yet again. I hiked on the verge — of deep walls and a deep well of tears and awe.

It is a relief to feel so small. To know how much you don’t matter, and at the same time, how much you do matter, to yours, despite your smallness. It is a relief to feel so small.

📷 Zion, Horseshoe Bend, and Grand Canyon

The inability to truly capture these places aside, documenting this trip was important to me. Below are some of my favorite images from our week in the American Southwest.