The Prince's Mansion

Only upon leaving the Prince's Mansion did I realize I'd been there before. My last visit to Beijing was on a family vacation in 2007. The heat and crowds were the same, my mind was different.

A sanctuary preserved, in form, though not function. 

A pattern repeated. Chatter and boredom rattled across courtyard walls, the amplitude building before a sudden decrescendo to a murmur. Next measure, crescendo, again. Repeat. The closest group stopped. All together now. The guide had called for their attention. As they held their tongues, I held my focus, searching for my own moments of peace, something with which I'd become slightly estranged after two months immersed in the pace and energy of Beijing.

A glance across the courtyard as an alley emptied its contents. Somewhere behind me, the herd of parasols and visors stretched out before mindlessly corralling, again. Elsewhere, repeat.

A pocket of silence sat unheard. I ran over to greet the moment, the ephemera announcing itself in the curious way that one voice might cut through the din of a crowded room. Looking through the viewfinder, unsure about the absence's presence and opportunity, my fingers fumbled between grabbing the aperture ring or focus ring. I wasn't sure what I wanted to do, but I was there and more as someone in front of an alley than behind a camera.

In attempting to capture the quiet, if only to prove to myself that it existed anywhere one might decide, I realized my hastiness may have worked towards that goal. A curated moment of calm through clumsiness. Crooked and out of focus with insufficient depth of field and contrast, the image, crippled without context, does not raise a voice. It makes sense to me, though, even more so when juxtaposed with the following frame, made less than one minute later.

All parties were equally enthused.

I'm reminded to always recognize and appreciate the little moments- quiet or noisy or otherwise imperfect, yet unquestionably distinctive, as they may be.

Personal update:

I'm excited to share this set, as the experience was marked with a rare consistency and forgotten deliberateness. I hope my sight and tone are seen as clearly as the intent for these images was known while shooting.

Also, as of yesterday evening, I've finished scanning the film from China and the last days of summer. I sent my digital camera off to Nikon last month and have plenty of film to fill the gap until then. Amid schoolwork and other responsibilities, it'll take some time to review, write, and post, but I plan for DeTOx, to be caught up and stateside before the month is over.