As a physician I have learned that we lose so much in the hustle of the modern day clinic. In order to deliver optimal wellness we must be aware and empathetic to the immutable values, vulnerabilities, and often overseen intricacies that make up the persona of our patients.
Rarely is this objective achieved in the 15 minute outpatient encounter. We are trained to be conscientious observers, to listen and quietly see a problem from several angles in order to package and cater a form of treatment. But, the flow of the electronically enhanced tightly metrically measured world of medicine often precludes this dwindling art.
Photography to me is a representation of the art in which we are losing in medicine. To take a photograph in either thoughtful composition or daring violation is to intricately participate in the morality of our subject.
To stroll as the slow and present observer through streets and mountains with a camera in hand we are somewhat forced to see the world in a form of light, texture, and contrast that we may have previously ignored.
With this new aesthetic awareness it is possible not to create reality as the painter might, but to disclose its truer nature similar to the physician who strives to disclose the relationship between the ailment and the patient.
