A Brief Crack of Light: Photos and Stories of a Lifetime.
I have taken the title of my new book from a quote by Vladimir Nabokov:
The cradle rocks above an abyss,
and common sense tells us that our existence
is but a brief crack of light
between two eternities of darkness.”
The book features many of my best photographs along with background stories. More info to follow as the book takes shape. In the meantime I wanted to share one of my favorite chapters:
Existential Photography
Our purpose and meaning in life come not from external forces such as God, government, or teachers, but instead is entirely determined by ourselves. Existentialism is the attempt to confront and deal with the meaninglessness of our lives.
Existential despair is a feeling of dread that arises when a person confronts the limitations of their existence. Thoughts of death, the meaninglessness of life, or the insignificance of self, can all trigger existential despair. People may feel overwhelmed, and hopeless in the face of this reality.
Photos that capture these themes:
Does this book seem like a lot of fun so far?
A recent piece in the New York Times called, “Not Your Daddy’s Freud,” reminded me of a great quote from Freud about the purpose of psychoanalysis:
“The purpose of psychoanalysis is to transform your neurotic misery into ordinary unhappiness”
Hmmm? Kind of sounds like Existential Photography, heh?
OK, OK… to lighten the mood, here are some other photos from the book:
I will keep you posted as the book takes shape.
BTW, with Easter just around the corner, it occurred to me that April Fools happens a few days before a bunch of religious holidays, including Easter.
Perhaps that means it is all one big cosmic joke.
Wow! While we have differing religious points of view, I feel you have taken a difficult subject matter and have shared your thoughts and photos in eloquent and humorous way.! I am so excited and can’t wait for my very own copy! You hit it out of the ballpark again Rick!
Incredible. Who knew you were working from this angle. Can’t wait!
Intriguing collection of photos– eager to see more!
Congratulations Rick! I know it will be wonderful.
Here’s a perspective from someone whose blood type is B+!
I am so glad I got to see about 75% of the new book on our recent visit! Both your photos and brief commentaries are outstanding, and I’m eager to see the finished product.
BUT, for people who don’t know you, leading off with a chapter on “Existential despair” might not be the best way to grab a new audience! I don’t remember the sequence of chapters, but I don’t think that’s the first one in the book. I am glad that in this Blog you also included some of the other photos from the new book, including the one of Katy in the bucket! Happy April Fools’ Day!
Looking forward to it!