Pup Teaches me Photography

Photography brings my floating conscience back to earth.

If you asked my friends, they would probably confirm that I'm relatively aloof. I lose track of conversations. I will go off and do my own thing for a while, but then I'll come back with incredible interest to share my discoveries with them. I tend to think of myself as someone who is a generalist by nature, but will go to extraordinary measures to learn a very specific topic as the duty arises. I love understanding what makes the world tick (which can span across almost any topic), but picking individual deep dives is what builds your personality.

A few years ago, during COVID, I went through an existential crash out. I was working a 9-5 from my new home, but the minute I finished my job I took up my 5-1:30ish renovating the 1950's era basement. An asbestos tile floor chipped away from the black tar on concrete, insulation added, plumbing sweat through, electrics run, drywall installed. My partner knew I needed a change and suggested it was time to get a puppy, probably just to get me out of the house more often.

Enter Susannah:

I had just started getting into analog photography as a creative hobby, setting up a darkroom in the basement I just renovated, processing and scanning my own film, making every mistake. Sue turned out to be the most readily available photo subject, and has continued to be:

Sue was a constant partner in my journey to use photography as a way to ground my mind in reality while confronting the absurd. As she grew up, my photographic intent grew into a mix of "French humanism and American documentary realism" (only recently discovered this description of Louis Stettner's work, which I quite like and am now aiming to embody). We took long walks through the woods behind my neighborhood and downtown alike.

Getting muddy spending time laying out in fresh cut grass on a summer day. Brambles stuck throughout our hair tromping through the woods. Sharing a bagel sandwich at the new downtown shop.

My photographic sensibilities grew alongside the pup, discovering Daidō Moriyama and connecting with the Provoke magazine releases. Breaking my relationship to perfectionism and order in photography, are-bore-bokeh challenged my engineer-trained brain to lean into staying present, watchful, and yet loose and relaxed.

As I reflect on years of photographing together, It's become clear that I need Sue as much as she needs me. No matter what the news of the week is, Sue demands a walk. There is always a next house renovation, a breaking story to unpack, or a new season unfolding for my work. But raising a dog while learning photography again is one constant routine, bar none.

I promise I do take photos not of the pup, but you'll have to wait for the next post for those.