The Moment of Conception

This will be part question part statement of belief.

As a photographer, are you aware that locked into your photograph is the moment of it's conception? When you look at the photograph does memory of what was happening at the moment you took the photograph take over your perception of the photograph?

Have you ever taken a sad photograph at a happy event and been unable to see it as sad because the memory of what of the event at the moment of conception is so strong?

I believe that frequently happens to photographers. There are elements outside of the borders of the photograph that influence our thinking about our own photographs. These outside influences cause the photographer to see the photograph as something other than the message the photograph carries.

Because of the difficulty of divorcing ourselves from the moment of conceptions we have difficulty seeing our own photographs as objectively as we should. The viewer has none of those memories and will therefore often sees the photograph much differently from the way we see the photograph.

As difficult as it is I believe that it is important that we see the image objectively, without the baggage of memory. This is partly responsible for my philosophy that the photograph is a separate entity from the subject and should be seen as such. It exists only within its borders and must carry the full weight of the intended message.