Due Up, and reflections
· Wednesday January 21, 2009
A few days ago, I came upon the photoblog of Shaun Lunt, entitled Due Up. What makes this blog unusual is not the fact that there are many outstanding images, nor that many photos were taken from the air above Alaska in Shaun’s own airplane. What makes this blog unusual is that this talented individual died tragically in a plane crash in June of 2008.
A story like this always gives me pause. While I wonder what great things Shaun might have gone on to do, it’s clear that he was an individual living life to its fullest— all the while making and sharing some beautiful pictures of his journey. This eventually causes me to reflect upon my own life, how I’m living my life.
There are of course accomplishments in my personal history I’m proud of— being co-captain of my swim team in high school, performing a senior piano recital at swat, being honoured with a Fulbright award and most recently, completing and defending my doctoral thesis. But what about the now? Am I making the most of my time?
In the grand scheme of things, I have a great deal of freedom. And, while clichéd, I do believe that with such freedom comes the responsibility to do something worthwhile and productive. For me, that ‘something’ is often artistic in nature.
I’ve previously written about how photography has overtaken music in my life as a creative outlet. This is as true now as it was when I wrote that article more than a year ago; taking and making photos is what fills my existential void.
This is also why I’m super-excited to start making my own prints— to ‘develop’ yet another aspect of this amazing craft. The printer arrived yesterday, which was amazingly fast shipping from amazon!! Unfortunately, it preceded my photo paper so all I had to show for it yesterday was a couple printer-alignment test patterns, haha.
But the paper finally arrived today, and I’ve been busy making some test prints tonight, playing with printer profiles and generally running around excitedly! A fuller account of my foray into the inkjet world will follow soon :-)
It’s great to be doing, to be creating, to be alive.
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I think ultimately stories like Shaun’s serve as an inspiration for those of us still earth-bound. They remind us that each day should have meaning, when sometimes they seem to slip by so easily. There is so much to be thankful for.
If you have a chance, check out Shaun’s blog. It’s something special.
— Emery Ku
Thoughts?
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