The following words are from Shomei Tomatsu’s short essay The Man Who Said “I Saw It! I Saw It!” And Passed It By.
A photographer is both a passer by and a dweller. That said, regardless of the condition with which he looks, the process of continuing to look doesn’t change. A photographer cannot cure like a doctor, cannot defend like a lawyer, cannot analyse like a scholar, cannot support like a priest, cannot bring about laughter like a rakugoka (comedian), cannot entertain like a singer, but can merely look. That is good enough. Well, no, that’s all there is. A photographer looks at everything, which is why he must look from beginning to end. Face the subject head-on, stare fixedly, turn the entire body into an eye and face the world. The human who bets on looking - that is a photographer.
via rm409
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