A Catcher of Shadows

A catcher of shadows is a soul stealer whichever way you look at it.

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John Fairhurst - Another one of his souls escapes into my box of tricks

Native Americans viewed photography like so many of the things that came from the modern world with suspicion, concern and a threat to their way of life. They thought of photography as something of a black magic.

Although photographers such as Edward S Curtis would ultimately become trusted to an extent by the native American peoples, these pioneering scientists and ethnologists were accused of 'catching shadows in a box of tricks', and 'stealing souls'.

This knowledge influences my photography and is also the inspiration to one of my poems.

Un Flâneur

I prowl the streets,
a catcher of shadows,
in a box of tricks.

I am a stroller,
a wanderer,
a lounger.

I saunter,
then linger,
a slow swagger.

'Un voyeur', they cry,
'un flâneur', a stern reply.