blur
a photo essay eulogy for my shattered iPhone
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A few weeks ago, I replaced the phone that was my lens to the last 4 years.
Goodbye to my iPhone 13 Pro (Sept 2022 - June 2026).
I’ve often been asked what was behind the dreamlike quality of my photos.
A simple answer.
About a week after getting my phone, I dropped it on the pavement, shattering the camera.
I was briefly devastated before noticing an unexpected quality to the moments I chose to capture.
This meant:
Liquids were potions.
Fire was magic.
Colors were a circus.
Landscapes were impressionist.
The sun was an explosion.
My subjects were angels.
Mirror selfies were impracticable.
Nights were ineffable.
Concerts were uncapturable.
This blur created distortion and clarity.
Every photo looked like a memory in the present tense.
It’s good to relinquish control.
To honor the unexpected.
In every timeline, I’d drop my phone again and again.
When I started this project, the photo album I amassed was 960 images deep.
Here are some morsels.
It’s been a pleasure.
I bid that era a fond farewell.
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And to say goodbye, a one song sendoff by the above-pictured Julian! It’s nostalgia incarnate and my favorite from Victoryland’s debut album <3
Xx Charlotte