- You were once the catalyst for an argument between my boyfriend and me.
- We were talking about an exhibition of yours we had both gone to ages ago, separately, at the National Gallery.
- It was a good one.
- Highlights included that photograph of your wife standing in the swimming pool with her back to the camera, and that one called “Merced River,” which shows a group of people standing around being attractive and free on a river beach.
- The picture is taken from quite high up, and quite far away, so the scene presents itself as one of idyllic self-containment.
- No one is aware of the camera, and so they are just quietly going about whatever business it is that they have, there on holiday by the river, in the prime of their lives, with no intractable problems.
- One person is wearing just some white underpants and standing in the river, looking a bit contemplative. Hands on hips.
- What is this person thinking?
- He’s thinking “It’s fine.”
- “This is a nice river.”
- We were talking about this photograph, and I said “I just don’t think anyone could get away with taking pictures like that, now.”
- My boyfriend asked me what I meant and I explained that I would think it was a bit weird if someone wanted to take a picture like that here in 2018.
- I would think it was somehow Irresponsible, or at least that the caption would have to say something like “Enjoy it while you can, folks, because we are all done for.”
- Climate change, I explained.
- We are all done for, etc, and you’re not really allowed to take nature photographs without alluding to that fact, now. Are you? Not according to me, you are not.
- My boyfriend saw what I meant, and agreed with me in theory, but I am afraid he did not do so with the vehemence I apparently required at that moment.
- I am afraid he was not too interested in listening to me berate an entirely imaginary person who might have the gall to take some pictures of nature without alluding to catastrophic climate change, here in 2018.
- He said, “Sure, absolutely, but.”
- It turned into a whole, incredibly stupid thing, spearheaded by yours truly.
- A little roundtable discussion called “What are you allowed to take pictures of now.”
- My boyfriend kept trying to get me to talk about something else, but you may rest assured that I was having absolutely none of it.
- Fun, hey?
- At one point, my boyfriend said, “I bet you William Eggleston doesn’t give a shit about climate change. You love William Eggleston.”
- I cannot remember how I responded to that, but the upshot was that we had a small argument, and I took to my high horse with abandon.
- Mmmm.
- Good one.
- That’s another thing about everything being absolutely in the toilet, these days: it makes one extremely tiresome to be around. So boring, always finding a reason to hector someone about something. Always comporting oneself in a manner that bears little resemblance to the way the people in “Merced River” choose to operate.
- This could all be pure projection.
- They are too far away to see the expressions on their faces.
- They seem fine, though.
- Best of luck to them, and to you.
- Happy Birthday.
Popula is 100% ad-free, reader-supported journalism accountable only to you. Every dollar of your subscription goes straight to our work. Thank you for supporting Popula.
Each comment or response costs a tiny ETH fee of 3.0E-5 (about 5¢ in Ethereum cryptocurrency), payable from your Metamask.io wallet (the wallet is free, and takes just a moment to add to your browser). This system helps protect Popula conversations from trolls, fakers, Cambridges Analytica and other malign influences.
If you haven’t got any ETH yet and you’re a Popula subscriber, please write to hey@popula.com with your subscriber email address and MetaMask wallet address, and we’ll send you a little bit to get started! It’s pretty easy and a lot of fun to use, Yay.
If you’d like to learn more about cryptocurrency, Ethereum, and how Popula is using these new technologies to help protect speech rights and the free press, please visit our FAQ page.
We’re having trouble checking your subscriber status. Try refreshing the page.
Welcome! To leave a comment, you’ll need to log in, and also have your MetaMask wallet ready with some ETH cryptocurrency available.
It’s easy! Just visit metamask.io to install an in-browser MetaMask wallet. If you’re a new subscriber, write to hey@popula.com for $2 in free ETH crypto!
Thank you for being a Popula subscriber! As a subscriber, you may leave comments, but you have to be logged in as commenter here first. This is an additional login—the login for your commenting privileges—and you’ll stay logged in after you log in the first time.
We’ve sent an email to your registered address at … with your commenting details. Please follow the directions in the email to open your commenting privileges and then come back here to leave your first comment!
Thanks for registering! Please log in and you can get started commenting.
You need to connect to the Main Ethereum Network before you can leave a comment. Click on your MetaMask icon so the window pops up, then select ‘Main Ethereum Network’ from the network-chooser dropdown at the top.
You’re logged in and ready to leave comments! All you need is a MetaMask wallet and a little ETH cryptocurrency, just like with our microtipping system.
If you know what MetaMask is and have it installed, activate MetaMask and refresh:
Each comment costs 5¢ in Ethereum cryptocurrency to post! Just write your comment and click the green button. Thank you, Popula subscriber, for joining us in the new world of cryptoeconomics! Please don’t forget to set your wallet address in order to receive tips on your comments.
Alas! commenting is not yet available on your mobile device. Each comment costs a little ETH cryptocurrency to post, and for now that requires a regular computer.
So please go to your laptop, install the MetaMask browser plugin, and hold forth!