Virtual Exhibition - Tales of Summers Past
It feels weird to be writing about summer when there’s a rain shower outside. But then again, this is an Irish summer. Actually, the weather has been pretty good here over the past month. Too good in fact, as the country is experiencing a technical drought, and water restrictions may soon come into effect.
It also feels weird to be writing about summer when the world is in a dark place. The virus lockdown is still in place here, although restrictions are easing. There are awful scenes on tv. I worry about friends and colleagues. I worry about humanity. I sit at my computer feeling helpless and despair. Dystopia fatigue is setting in. It feels wrong to talk about photography right now. I want to say something profound for the moment, but I can’t. Im not qualified enough. I’m not experienced enough.
I had been planning to post these photos for a while. It was to be a follow up to my virtual spring exhibit. It’s not a statement or a juxtaposition. It’s just some photos of summers past.
Because that’s all I have right now.
My ability to take photos right now is somewhat limited because of the restrictions, so these images are taken from the past ten years. I went back through my library and looked at photos from May to September. Summer is one of my least favourite times to take photos. First of all, I don’t do well in the heat. Luckily that’s not really a problem here in Ireland, although the last few years, it’s been getting hotter and hotter during summer, and the hot spells ave been lasting longer and longer. I think that part of it is that it’s never really hot long enough to acclimatise. Or maybe it’s just me!
Secondly, I find the light generally harsher. It lacks the golden glow of autumn or the freshness of spring. If you want good light you need to get up at 5 am. But looking back I still have lots of photos of summer, and there’s still lots to enjoy. I love the colours of flowers and the green of the full trees. So, It’s not that I don’t like taking photos in Summer, it’s just that I prefer Autumn and Spring.
