Although, as Mariah emphasizes, Natasha Tretheway definitely mentions the limitations of cameras, I feel that Tretheway also provides an equal amount of enthusiasm, for not only the contributions to society that the camera has made, but also its power as a medium of communication.
A camera, in reality has changed our world. Just like the phone connected us to distant lands, the invention of the camera and its product the photograph, have allowed us to connect to our past. Through the camera and photographs, in the future there is no doubt that we will feel much closer to our past. As we go forward, although we may never be able to travel back in time, the past will continue to grow closer and closer to us with the never ending advances in technology. Tretheway’s work is a perfect example of connecting to the past with something as simple yet at the same time as powerful as a photograph.
Despite this, the limitations that come with a photograph is definitely a theme in the novel, for as Ophelia states, “I look at what he can see through the lens, and what he cannot,” in reference to Bellocq as a photographer (43). The answers are not all there. Yet a photograph can also provide the slightest avenue into the unseen, such as a simple look in a woman’s eyes which became Tretheway’s inspiration for Bellocq’s Ophelia. Tretheway mentioned that in the past, photographers waited until the decisive moment to take the picture. This moment would occur when the person who was posing for the photograph mind drifted and they forgot why they were there. This definitely shows the power of the camera as a medium of communication, for although it may not be able to capture the entire unseen picture, it can capture a hint or clue at the unseen side which can then help us to unravel the puzzle concerning the mystery of their life.
Ophelia’s purchase of a camera and her marvel at the “camera’s way of capturing the sparkle of plain dust” also brings up a very interesting perspective (Tretheway, 27). It seems that Tretheway is in fact trying to show us two sides of the camera. The first side is that of the unseen, the fact that Ophelia may look like a pretty lady on the outside, but what is really going on inside may not be obvious, except through minute details. The second side is almost the opposite. It is that the camera can capture something as insignificant as “plain dust,” and make it into something beautiful that “sparkles” (27). It seems that Ophelia could be hoping that the concept of learning could transform her, a girl that is supposed to be someone simpleminded who does not use sophisticated language, into something beautiful, despite her circumstances. The camera is not limiting in this way either, for it does not limit the simple people to be simple. Instead Ophelia’s transformations and her self-discovery are obvious as the story progresses
The saying “a picture is worth a thousand words” is very relevant to the text, and your post makes excellent points. People may “fake” a smile, but if you’re a true photographer you wait for the essence of emotion to take over the face. After many of the students left, Prof Croxall and Prof Tretheway both looked at Bellocq’s collection of photographs and she stated that she used many of them as inspiration for her poems. Photographs are a great medium to explore and find inspiration from.
I agree that the camera is a way for Ophelia to better her life. It gives her opportunities for insight into a world she never even thinks about. Although I think the camera has its physical limitations when it captures a specific moment, I don’t think that these limitations connect to Ophelia’s striving to better her life.
Josh, I especially like where you get in your final paragraph. The first two paragraphs wander a bit, but sometimes that’s what this type of writing is good for. It’s of course worth remembering that as much as photographs can connect us to the past that in the case of Trethewey’s book it is her words rather than photos that make us feel connected. What do you think the connection is between poetry and photography?