I read an article in the online edition of the Washington Post this morning making the point that a lot of people are being seduced by technology and are spending more time than ever texting, Twittering, talking on a cell phone, or just sitting in front of a computer (which is what I am doing now).  If they are out and about doing all this stuff, that means they are not as available to what is going on around them as they would be if they were not engaged with all of that technology.

Lots of folks believe they can successfully ‘multitask’ and they do generally avoid major problems but I can personally attest that multitasking reduces the margin for safety.  I made this observation as the car next to me was pushed into my car broadside by someone who ran a red light because he was on a cell phone.  No one was injured.  The data show that multitasking is not a good idea.

Multitasking is a vote against being here (right here in this physical place) in the present.  A vote in the sense that we make choices and the choice of the multitasker is to not be entirely here.  A college professor friend of mine says that he walks around the room as he is teaching a class because if he stays at the front of the room, the people at the back will be texting.  He would rather they didn’t.

I don’t want this post to be a rant.  The point I am building toward is that photography, for me, demands that I be fully present to get the most out of it.  And that isn’t just being present with a camera in hand but as much of the rest of the time as possible because the eye is constantly looking for image potential.  Some of my most memorable images were ones I didn’t take (the ones that got away?)

The image below, one I got yesterday, wouldn’t have been made if I had been on the phone as I was looking around.  It was fleeting and in its context, more subtle than it appears.  It’s funny that with all its busyness, it is a kind of symbol for multitasking. 

I know I wouldn’t have seen these leaves in the ice if I had been on the phone.

It’s been warm the last few days and it is getting cold tonight so there will be more leaves to photograph tomorrow.  If you call me, leave a message;  I won’t be near a phone.