Character Matters

Character matters! It’s very important to me when taking a photo. If you’ve followed my blog for any length of time you may think I really like old things. In reality, I don’t select subjects because they’re old but because they have character. The term character has many meanings. The meaning I’m referring to is about those distinctive qualities that set it apart and holds our interest. As the French would say it has a certain je ne sais quoi. Not to go off topic but why do things always sound so much better in French?

In this regard, it’s hard to take a really great picture if the subject doesn’t have character. I believe this is true whether it’s people, animals, inanimate objects or even just scenery. The harsh truth is that a photo of a loved one may be great to us but to someone without that emotional attachment it is merely nice and doesn’t hold their interest. Being pretty is not the same as having character. In fact, often the opposite true.

In my discussion on a Church In Ruin I mentioned that it has now been restored. This led me to confess:

To be honest, I have mixed feelings about it being restored. I’m certainly happy it was saved from a slow and inevitable decay into complete ruin. But at the same time, its weathering gave it a certain character and grace that restoration can’t duplicate. It wore its age well. Perhaps I’ll go back in another 100 years and it will have again become a church in ruin and I’ll be able to see the character of my old friend again.

I hope you find that I’ve made the right choice. So, now on to an example from my most recent road trip.

Hyde’s Mill

Hyde’s Mill is a good example of a scene where character matters. Settler William Hyde first built the mill in 1850. Unfortunately, it burned down in 1870.  Theodore Sawle rebuilt the mill at its original site next to the 1850s stone dam.

What I like about this old mill is that it unpretentious. It’s was built for work. Functionality rather than beauty was the priority. However, it is from this simplicity of purpose that over these many years its character has emerged and we appreciate it innate beauty.

Since I referred to the Church In Ruin photo earlier, I thought I’d go ahead and show here also. I love how time has revealed its character.

Une Femme d’un Certain Âge

The interesting thing about character (as I’m using the term in this discussion) is that it only reveals itself over time. Initially, the novelty of being the new “shiny thing” grabs and holds our attention. It’s only after some time when the shininess and novelty fades does the true character come out. This brings to mind a French phrase (yeah, here I go again with the French), une femme d’un certain âge which translates to “a woman of a certain age”. This phrase has many connotations including some that are blatantly sexist. The interpretation that I favor is describing someone who has come into their own. They are comfortable and satisfied with what they are and it shows. This is similar in feeling to the phrase “they are comfortable in their own skin”. But as I mentioned before, it sounds so much better in French.

I believe this concept doesn’t just apply to people.  That is why I believe Hyde’s Mill is a better photographic subject now than it was right after it was built. Having achieved a “certain age” we now see its true character. It wears its age well; character matters.

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Do you feel that  character matters in your photography? I’d love to hear your comments and feedback.  Please leave a comment in the comment box below.

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