Self-Potrait

While we are walking around anywhere, we never think to stop and look around at what's around us, or to even stop and take a simple photo of what we see. However, while I was walking around in downtown Plattsburgh, I stopped and took all of these photos because they were things that stood out to me while walking around and exploring this new town that I am now living in. When you are in a different place that you have never been in, you often seem to notice the smallest things that would never stick out to you. As you travel in new places, you see how the sidewalk is different, the attitudes of the people, and even the how the smell of the air. 

I took all of these photos because living in New York City; you don't really see these things in the middle of the downtown area. In the city, you only see busy streets with people rushing by and very tall buildings that take up almost every block. In Plattsburgh you only see small buildings with people walking around slowly and enjoying the weather. However, in New York you see subway stations on almost each corner with people in the middle of the street rushing to get across or trying to get a taxi to stop for them. While taking these photos, I didn't see any kind of connection between them, or notice how much my environment has changed since leaving the city, but upon further analyzing them I noticed that in almost every picture, something was different and a journey of some sort seemed to be in almost every single one of them, such as the train tracks, two pathways, and the sail boat. Another connection in the photos is stability with the high tower, statue, and the picture of the water. The two most common themes in the photos however are traveling and seeing the world from a new perspective. These photos show how life is really different in other places and that we have grown to know it is not always the same in all parts of the world.

In this image, you see aged train tracks along a path of gravel. The trees surrounding the tracks emit a tranquil scene. The tracks in this image are in an almost perfect vertical line. The shadows show that the sun is in shining from the right side of the image. The tracks appear to fade into somewhat of a horizon line. The power lines next to the tracks indicate that the tracks may have been there for a long time, as well as the rusted color of the metal. This image can represent the journey of life.

Now one looking at this picture would simply say, "What's so special about this picture of train tracks?" We often see train tracks around us many times and think nothing of it because it is so common. Just like I thought, what can be so special about train tracks, there's no person or any kind of words in the picture so what can they mean to anyone? Have you ever thought to relate those train tracks to your life in any way? In the photo of the train tracks, I saw many things in my life that relate to me through analyzing the photo thoroughly. I saw my journey from being a kid into a now growing adult in college, the stability of my life through the tracks being there, and the support and learning from my friends, family, and experiences with the trees surrounding the tracks.

This image shows somewhat rusted train tracks that show age and may even represent life's past experiences and wisdom. A journey is always tough, and there will always be wears and tears, as seen in the rust. Each wooden plank within the track shows that there is always a journey, and always a next step to be taken. In this image, the train tracks seem to fade in the distance, never ending. The scene seems to be a bit aged as well, as shown by the gravel and the telephone wires. The trees show that there is always life around us waiting to help and sometimes even hinder us.

The shadows are also important in this image because it shows that there will always be dark and unknown times. However, that is the special thing about any journey. Just as the track continues past the shadows, we ourselves must pass our own obstacles and learn from them. There will always be light in the end, just as it is shown in the picture. The tracks show the journey of the train, but I believe they represent the journey of life as we grow and learn new things. In the photo, we can't see a definite beginning or end to the tracks. This is like how we don't remember what happened when we were young and how we don't know what’s to happen for us in our future. Eventually our journey will come to an end, and we will leave our trail behind us.