From Walls to Windows: A Compelling Climb

Photography Module Project - Video (also on FB)




Transcript

For the last three years, I had the privilege of living and working in Kabul, Afghanistan. While the mention of this place might bring to mind words like harshness, hostility, and hurt, Kabul, a place I once called home, generates in me a sense of history and hospitality and… hope. For many who live in this place, though, hope is hard to come by.

Early one morning, my colleagues and I ventured out from behind our compound walls in order to experience the freedom and fresh air found atop a rugged “rock” that rises from the center of the city. While many appreciated the opportunity this outing provided to exercise and explore, this climb compelled me to contemplate. In turn, contemplation compelled me to climb.

One of the interesting features of this mountain is a wall that runs along its crest. Captivated by its construction, I eagerly eyed the wall from various angles, anxious to snap a few shots that hopefully captured the crudeness and contrasts in its contents and configuration. As I continued to climb and compose, I came across cracks and crevices and corners that caused me to consider that which was beyond the barrier before me. At this point, I realized there was more to this scene than a few sticks and stones. This was not merely a mass of mud and mortar, but a medium through which to achieve greater meaning. The symbolism was staggering.

In a country ravaged by war for over 30 years, it is easy to understand why walls, literal and figurative, surround homes and hearts everywhere. As I studied the structure before me, I began to realize that this wall, designed to divide, could potentially draw together. Put up to protect, this wall had places through which to peer and, thus, was not impenetrable. This wall had windows, which compels on to ask... what lies beyond?

As my attention turned from the wall to the windows, focus and frames, balance and boundaries, shapes and shadows, lines and landscapes, came to the fore. Which window would warrant wonder? Which terrain would tell the greatest tale? Which picture would provoke one to ponder? Which sight would stir the soul? Playing with perspective, dappling with depth of field, and floundering to find a frame (and final photo) that evoked strong feelings was both fabulous and frustrating, but what is found in the final photo?

In the end, hope is what was heralded from the mountaintop. Hope on the horizon is what I attempted to capture and communicate in this final image.