The Weight of Smoke

The Weight of Smoke

There is an account of how Sir Walter Raleigh won a bet with Queen Elizabeth that he could weigh the smoke of a cigar. The story is told expertly by actor William Hurt in the 1995 film "Smoke", and I won't tell it here - it's a clever bit, though, that Raleigh pulls.

I was reminded of this story when I was considering the title of this post. The theme started with a photo from a session I did in Sisters, OR a while back - friends gathered at a family vacation home in that transition time between fall and winter. My favorite image is pictured above and it's of the group splayed out in the living room. The trip included a group trail run, and some antics at night, but this moment was during the ebb-tide of the group energy.

This happens on almost all stays away from home, I think, especially the longer ones. The mania of being on vacation subsides, and everyone is exhausted or maybe just slowing down after a burst of adventure. It looks like nothing is going on, and we often believe that there is nothing to photograph here - what is more benign than a bunch of people - especially adults - sitting around not even talking that much?

But it's untrue that there is nothing going on, and if you were present in that moment and paying attention you would know this instantly. What is happening is a collective state of being, a sharing of MOOD. There might be very little action, but this is precisely what allows a special kind of energy to sneak in the back door of both adventurous vacation stays and long "empty" weekends at home. We occupy the same space together, riding the same wave of downtime for a moment. Past generations might have called this "chilling" or "grooving" but the current term, I believe, is "vibing."

They don't have to last half a day, either - down moments can be fleeting, lasting as long as an exhale or the gap in time between one chuckle and the next. We look for and notice the action, the dramatic moments, but I also like to document the spaces in between, especially with a group. When composed to fill the frame, and layered with elements from the scene, they can transport you back to the mood of that moment. Take a look at the image again and tell me you don't hear the sound of an exhale, or feel the heaviness of your own limbs increase for a heartbeat.

What does this have to do with Sir Walter and cigar smoke? I don't know. Raleigh is credited with introducing tobacco to England, and probably was an expert in smoking. I suppose if he had instead been an expert with cameras then maybe photographing mood might have been something on which he would have wagered with a Queen.