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cweeks — Why?
Published: 2005-09-20 03:55:32 +0000 UTC; Views: 25182; Favourites: 96; Downloads: 7577
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Over the course of four or five or six days and a couple packs of american spirits ... and even a few bialettis full of italian caffeine i wrote this.finished it today.
tonight.
the girl on the thumbnail of this is maggie grace. who should be congratulated for her joint-emmy-win for "lost." not that i've watched it. but ... she's cute. and nice.
this is less a tutorial than it is an essay.
a couple of the photographs therewith included you've all seen ... most ... perhaps not.
i don't know where you would have unless you have spyware on one of my macs.
that not withstanding ...
i wrote "why do we photograph"?
YOU HAVE TO DOWNLOAD THE PDF TO YOUR COMPUTER; IT WILL NOT OPEN IN dA.
dont' note me about zipping it. i don't care.
trust me; i don't.
i didn't include any shooting information on any of the photographs. started to but it became tedious.
i hope you enjoy it.
it's really a missive ... disjointed and jumping around ... of course ... of why we choose the medium of photography to remember.
hope it helps someone out.
i'm dedicating this to Michael Park (co-driver of Markko) of team peugeot when he died on leg 15 of the Rallye Great Britain.
and ... also to my mom's friend's husband who i don't remember his name. he died yesterday and said to his wife, "i'm done, i'm going flying." he was a navy fighter pilot.
i hate seeing people sad.
cheers all.
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Comments: 171
I like your preception of photography. I am not this clear myself about why i take a photo, i just begain few days ago waiting more and slowing down when snap shooting and asking people on the streets instead of spy style. i felt those words you wrote.
(i am begining the long save for a rangefinder now 
mahmoud
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I like the pic. She looks cute and the saying fits to her facial expression.
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Gives me a new perspective on getting back to why in the first place, thankyou for this
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Thats great chris, you have to respect a man with that strength on his last moment!
i'm done, i'm going flying." he was a navy fighter pilot.
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is she the one in veronica mars? 
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Maggie was a star in last season LOST tv show on ABC. She was killed off last season.
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u sure she isn't in veronica mars as well?
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No, "Veronica Mars" is Kristin Bell or something.
I don't even watch TV & I know that.
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The definatly look alike but they are different people.
Kristen Bell
[link]
Maggie Grace
Most Recent Role: Shannon Rutherford (Seasons 1-2) on Lost
Gender: Female
Birthplace: Columbus, Ohio
Birthday: 9-21-1983
Birth Name: Margaret Grace Denig
[link]
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ah, ok, thanks... well good then, i'm not gonna worship him 'cuz it wasn't her 
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heehe, Chris has many shots worthy of your time heehe.
Not sure if I have seen your girl in his lens yet. V marss is a hottie.
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i bearly have time to log on once in a while to my page, not to mention go through my devwatch, but i keep an eye on his work, for some reason celebrities are interesting to look at
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indeed. I esp like that Chris posts pic's that are far from the normal.
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i really enjoy reading this.. you are so honest.. straight from the heart.. +fav and i love all your gallery.. all the stories, that know no one knows, behind the photos.. great work!
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Ah, I finally came around reading it. And what a good read it was.
The text made me feel almost as voyeuristic as those photos with it do.
Needless to say; I agree completely with you.
It's all about capturing moments, emotions, beauty, etc. to remember.
And with that perhaps proving we've lived?
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Ah, I finally came around reading it. And what a good read it was.
The text made me feel almost as voyeuristic as those photos with it do.
Needless to say; I agree completely with you.
It's all about capturing moments, emotions, beauty, etc. to remember.
And with that perhaps proving we've lived?
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This is the best thing I've read about photography. Better than any fucking tutorial. Thank you.
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Best damned tutorial I've ever read. Made me ashamed of my negligent attitude towards photography. I shall lash myself thrice and know the rules of three (but fuck no, I won't do film. No!)
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let me know how you fared during the lashing.
glad you took something away from it.
won't do film? then ... you'll never know.
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It's basically a financial decision, but more importantly; I got this (more or less) Leica-only store 30 meters from my office and I've been checking (and dreaming) by the window for minutes if not hours. And a few weeks back I decided to be the brave amateur and go inside. I got out fast. The aura you people radiate... It's intimidating. I guess your mentor-photographer was one of a kind.
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dude, seriously ... don't worry about going in a store.
most of those guys behind the counter can't even shoot!
so ... go ... in the store and check out all that's leica!
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I'd like to reply with deep, meaningful words.
But all I can say is "FAP FAP FAP". Visually. In a balancing way.
I like.
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thats a fuckin grade-A piece of writing-passion-heart-reality!!
great stuff
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thank you for that. i've still got a lot to learn about photography.. and looking forward to it too
i love the way you write and express what's inside your mind. and also the statements you that are so incredibly true. thanks again.
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This makes me want to go take photos with whatever O can get my hands on.
Thanks for writing this, I feel stupid for not reading it sooner.
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I LOVE LOST. 
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That was a great read.
your thoughts on photography are much like mine.
We take photos for ourselves. And although you have moments where you just go nuts on photos either trying to make money or gain attention, at the end of the day it all comes down to how the photographer feels about it.
The way you talk about Leica's makes me want to get one... but alas... im a poor student.
Keep up the good work Chris
Sandy
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That was a very nice read, Mr.Weeks. I love how you (seemingly?) casually put down such lines and descriptions, they really help to give the photo more soul. Just adding that personal touch.
This essay reminded me of a chapter in Douwe Draaisma's book 'Why Life Speeds Up When You Get Older'. It's a semi-scientific book about memory. And with a chapter about photography. It comes down to that people (amateurs) always photograph the "occasions". Like birthdays and Christmas, resulting in repetitive pictures (which I found this weekend of my own youth, so recognizable). And that the art of (snapshot) photography is catching those casual moments you'll love to look back at (but you only know you'll love to look back at it when the moment has passed ofcourse). Like the frown of your child when (s)he's mad. Such random things, that aren't so random afterwards.
That chapter really struck me, just like this essay of yours did. Just because it's so true and simple in a way.
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After much hemming & hawing, I read about the first 5 pages. From that point on, I instinctively knew that those 18 pages were worth my 300-page print limit that I have w/ my school.
& I'm very glad I did so, after reading it all, its very breathtaking. Definately going to keep the hardcopy around & put it in my files.
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Chris,
You embody my goals here in deviantArt. You show me, and the rest of the community that we live every day in a living, breathing, moving, feeling work of art, and it is only through capturing it's details, or trying to capture that moment that we truly become aware of the details. And as they say, "God is in the details".
I have always been touched and moved by the world I see around me, and crushed by the fact that in order to live my life I seem to have to lock myself away from that world for far too many hours a day, doing work which might be appreciated in the short term, but will be forgotten in a moment's time. Your work as a photographer will outlive you, me, and every other person here. It truly is moments caught for an eternity.
I wish I had that sixth sense you seem to possess, that ability to see a shot before it happens, to be able to subconsciously and automatically evaluate all those elements that define a great photograph rather than a hack effort, and be able to take a shot that transports everyone to that moment when they see it. And if not transport all of them, transport their heart, or their head, or stimulate long forgotten memories of places, smells, sensations...
Your work is incredible, and something that I constantly look at as being something that I wish I could even come close to achieveing. But all too often I feel like a guy in a wheelchair watching Lance Armstrong go flying past in comparison to you.
And the beauty that pervades all your work, and you expressed it so well in your "Manifesto", is that you aren't doing it for the money, or the fame, or the lifestyle - you're doing it because you truly love the art that you create. I was always told that you should try and find something you love, and then figure out a way to get paid for it, and it seems you have done that. I just wish I had the courage to try and do that myself.
Seeing the works you create compared to my own, makes me realise how much more I have to learn, to try, to understand, and I appreciate that, probably more than anything. You truly set the bar for me, and I'm sure for alot of aspiring photographers here, and I appreciate the challenge, even if I feel completely out of my depth in even thinking of taking it on.
(Just transferring here for eternity, and, of course, prosperity...)
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wow, you're just fantastic Chris!! Really beautiful what you read, I want to do somewthing similar to this one day. (Would probably not be good like yours)
You simply are great, you damn rock
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oohh... u really should have!! "lost" is a really good one!!
very cute work dear!!
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the passion.
i love it chris. it's so honest. it's the soul.
mad respect.
need to read it again.
sounds like the foreword to a book in the works. when it's published, remember that i called it.
cheers from fuckin cold iowa.
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This is going to be an interesting read. Now I just need to muster up some attention (serious attention span deficiency issues) and get to reading it.
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Chris... this was a beautiful read... you really did sum up a lot of my feelings towards photography & my camera... 
This really touched my heart Chris... especially that photo of your puppy as an actual puppy... and the photo of your daughter by the hamster cage... I really do think this was written beautifully (and hey... i'm an English teacher
Thanks for sharing.
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Methinks someone thinks Leicas are a scaled down version of God!
Firsty you take some fantastic photos, then post some jounal entries which are almost as awe inspiring, then you write the most insightful piece about what something means to you not anyone else, just you, plain and simple - like "Chris Weeks Unplugged"
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I really want to say thank you for writing this. It was a wonderful read, usually I nitpick at spelling errors *is compulsive* but it completely sucked me in. I love the pictures of your dog and your little girl they are both so cute
You're pictures of the laundry mat seem so lonely and desolate. Abandoned. Forgotten. It makes me sad. But it also makes me want to take more pictures like that too.
I have been borrowing a friends canon FTb and I love it. I remember what I loved/love so much about film. And just taking pictures in general. I wish I could get/afford my own really good film camera. Perhaps one day though. I have fallen in love with the completely manualness of it too. I may not understand it completely but its nice.
I guess I should stop typing now or it'll get a lot longer. I don't always comment on your stuff but I want to let you know that I like just about all the pictures you put on here. There is something just really real about them and I enjoy that.
ange
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