Deep Red

I’m sure you all are getting tired of seeing photos of me by now, but I’ll post some more anyway. Besides, I have somewhat of a photography obsession (can you tell)?

Last night there were bad storms in the area and I remember thinking, If I knew a tornado was going to destroy my house and I was given only 2 minutes to grab emergency stuff before getting out alive, what would I grab? I immediately thought of grabbing two cameras (my digital slr and my HD video camera), all lenses, attachments, camera bag, laptop, and laptop charger. And then I remember thinking, oh crap I forgot my rechargable batteries and charger for the camera! and I ran back upstairs to grab it before the whole house was destroyed. Hard to believe that I didn’t even think about grabbing my purse, my credit cards, any clothes, food, or even my cat! My priorities aren’t the best, I suppose. But the way I see it, I can always videotape the tornado and sell it to CNN which would pay for all the stuff I left behind. hehe

I gotta stop thinking about such morbid things. I dunno. I lived in Alabama for 17 years of my life, so I grew up around tornadoes. At one point, when I was a photographer for a local newspaper, I actually chased a tornado down in Eclectic, AL and captured it on camera for the front page. My coworkers said I was a fool back then (they’d probably still say that today, now that I come to think of it). My boss said, “Chase what you want, but we won’t cover you if you get hurt.” It was such an awesome experience, I gotta tell you. At one point, the wind literally threw me back 5 feet before I hit a brick wall of our office building (thank god I was close enough to the wall that I didn’t get hurt). After that, I got inside my beat up white Honda Accord and drove west because that was the direction it was heading. Four or five miles later, I began thinking, Where is it? I don’t see it and I pulled over on the side of the road frustrated and screaming at the top of my lungs, “Come on motherfucker! Let me see you!” I’m telling you, it was as though the wind heard me. All of a sudden out of NOWHERE a small whirlwind came out of the clouds (but didn’t touch the actual ground) and it made a big enough tornado whirl that it was considered a tornado. That was the closest I’ve ever gotten to one. When I got back to the office, I asked my boss to develop the photos (this was a small local paper so we didn’t have digital cameras back then, only film) so we could see the pictures. To be honest, it looked like crap. There were no zoom lenses available. No telephoto lens or special effects. But from that day forward, I swore I would get a great shot of a tornado. Still working on it.

So anyway - I suppose my cameras are my prized possessions (although not the most expensive). I’m such a firm believer in the theory that something must be observed in order for it to exist. So I constantly document my life around me. If there’s a tornado, I want to prove to people I saw it by taking a great photo. If I lost a ton of weight, I want photos to prove it. If I don’t share photos and don’t tell people, then it inspires no one. But if I share, it can change people’s lives forever. If I see a house collapse, I want a kick ass photo that shows it falling down. If I don’t tell people or don’t document it, it changes the domino effect. I want to be there as life happens and document it accordingly. If I’m the only observer, it makes the existence so-so. But when the observation is shared with multiple people, the existence is recognized as not only truth, but as a cosmic reality that when witnessed becomes a part of what evolves forever. I know it doesn’t make sense, but think about it. If there were a war and no one documented it (if everyone was killed and no one knew), then it’s as though it never existed. If one person witnesses it, it’s hearsay. If it’s witnessed by multiple people and/or documented with photos, papers, or credible testimonials - then the war itself plays a part in how the world begins to change and how other countries, rulers, and future wars and disagreements take shape. I am getting off topic. I ramble sometimes.

Love
Isabella
xoxooxxo