Tuesday, October 23, 2007

A Time Machine


This past Saturday, I attended the annual Lake Mirror Classic here in Lakeland, Florida. I didn’t capture much that I really liked that day, but I did come away with this image of a De Lorean’s logo on it’s brushed stainless steel hood. I loved the clean lines and simple look. After taking that photo, I knew that if I didn’t capture anything else that day, I at least had one image that I was pleased with.

The De Lorean DMC-12 was a car that was only produced for three years from 1981 to 1983 by the short lived De Lorean Motor Company. It’s forever typecasted as a “Time Machine” though, for the famous role it played in the “Back to the Future” movie trilogy.

As I was thinking about what commentary I would write for this post, my thoughts were geared towards the subject of time travel. At first it seems like a cool idea, if it were ever possible. But, as I thought about it just a little more, I realized that time travel would devalue time itself. The sacredness and rarity of our moments would lessen. How special would a particular moment be if it could be relived easily. As I thought more about time travel, the more I realized that the moments you may find yourself wanting to relive are special...because they can’t be relived. You may be able to recreate a moment in time, but it will never be exactly the same as the moment that preceded it.

I guess in a way, our photographs act as a sort of "Time Machine", don't they? They safely transport us back to other times and places without disturbing history.

What are your thoughts on “Time Travel”?

19 comments:

Shionge said...

*...create a moment time...* to me, a moment in time for me to cherish and likewise for me to treasure things that I have now especially special moment with love ones ;)

Ted said...

Once, on a network radio show, I asked the audience to pretend that I had a magic time travel wand which cold transport them anywhere into the past for thrity minutes. They were told that they could not return with anything physical, but that they could make changes. Then I asked them where they'd go.

The phones exploded. People from all over the country and Canada wanted to play. Time travel, I later learned, is the second greatest fantasy of the overhwelming majority of people. The answers were wonderful. You have hit upon a magic lever here Chad... and through your own ruminations on the meaning of specialness, you have made it special.

Thanks for sharing, and yeah... the image is cool.

ASHE said...

I never thought about time travel the way that you do, but I have to say that I agree. Moments aren't so precious if they can be repeated whenever we'd like.

As for the De Lorean, it mostly reminds me of that commercial for the TLC channel (I think its that channel), where the receptionist guy asks the girl with the giant poofy shouldered suit where she parked her De Lorean :)

Jessica said...

I am not what you'd call a "car person" but I appreciate a good car photo. When I worked at the paper I'd always volunteer to shoot car shows--tons of fun details.

photowannabe said...

I think our photos are like time travel too. They allow me to relive memories. I guess if we could go back over and over for the same event it woul loose its special flavor. Interesting question. I probably should have thought about it more before writing but there you have it..
I do like your DeLorean shot with its clean lines.

Tom said...

I think you are spot on Chad, I can sit in my chair looking at old photo's of my long gone mother and father, and I drift back in time. I can hear the sounds and and smell the perfumes of the past, all this from certain photographs. I look at old school photo's and I'm back playing in football, and marbles in the school yard, knowing that the bell will ring soomn and it's back to my chair for the next picture.
Great post, from Mascot.. to Memories

Anonymous said...

I remember this car you posted about. I also remember another one that amazed me and it was the Tucker. Wow.

Blue Wave 707 said...

Don't forget your flux capacitor! :-D

Isadora said...

Yes, it is like a time machine. A friend of mine once mused after she sorted photos of her now grown child...that she'd seen the pictures of the boy he was then. These different children frozen in time - because none of us is what we were on the photos back then.

Jose said...

Time travel, great for fiction and make believe. But the best thing to do is to just stay put and enjoy every minute life is offering you in real time. Wasted time will never come back.

Lori said...

Yup...this definitely reminded me of "Back to the Future" - what a fun movie!

But your words make me think of a quote I read a long time ago:

"We never get second chances in life. We can never go back to an exact moment and have the same opportunities in the same situations. But we do get new chances in life - a new start to make things better from here on out." That isn't word for word...but the general idea.

The camera is definitely one of the greatest time machines given to man - a priceless piece to the puzzles of our past.

Unknown said...

how very true...photography is an art..one of a kind!

imac said...

Nice write up there, and I guess that you are right as well.Im very interested into the future but its very scary too.
Good thinking on the shot too.

Chica, Cienna, and Cali said...

lovely post Chad.....but i think i will hold the precious moments equally dear if i could revisit them .....i live so far from my family and miss them so much that if i had access to time travel i dont think i will ever come back to present!!!!:)

Kerri Farley said...

Wow! Interesting question about time travel. I can only imagine that if I had lost someone close to me..... I would probably want to be able to travel back in time to possibly say things that were left unsaid.... or just to give them one more hug. I guess that makes me think that I need to do more of those types of things NOW..... tell my loved ones how much I appreciate and love them. And make sure that I try to do my best every day...... because there is no going back.
Whew! You've really got me thinking now!

Cape Cod Washashore said...

Poignant post! All too often I find myself looking to the future (toward the days when my children will grow and sadly -- for me -- leave the nest), and my goodness! They are all still here with me as young children and I should be counting every daily blessing!

Cape Cod Washashore said...

PS - We have a DeLorean in town. I still do a double-take every time I see it! =)

gaz said...

wow! i never really thought of my camera as a form of time machine, but i suppose it is.
great food for thought chad.

JAM said...

Time passes and memories fade.

Even physicists don't know why time moves in one direction by our perception. All the known mathematical expressions governing time are just as valid in the other direction, but no one has ever experienced time's arrow but in the one direction.

I think that it's such a big deal for people because they'd like to go back and recapture a special moment, to make it fresh again. For me, it would be to spend time with loved ones that have passed away, but I have the confidence that I will see them agains some day.

I like the delorean shot too. That's an iconic car. Just the bit of stainless steel and the name causes my brain to fill in the rest.