The pursuit of imperfection

I want a baby - a lensbaby.

For those of you who have not heard of this product before, it is a lens attachment for your SLR camera. It is an attachment that allows your camera to perform worse. Yes, worse.

Modern digital cameras are marvels of engineering and are able to record extremely clear images under a massive variety of conditions. In many ways they outperform the human eye, one of evolution's masterpieces.  However, a side effect of this perfection is that the activity of taking photographs acquired an extremely serious tone; at least for me. The amazing capabilities of my device created an expectation in my mind that nothing less than perfect photographs was acceptable. As a result, a pleasurable activity sometimes became far too serious and cold and staid for my liking. What I find interesting about lensbabies is the chance to use lenses that are cheap and of inferior quality to the original lenses that came with the camera. However, these imperfect devices bring back a measure of fun, experimentation and to some degree; frivolity to my photography. You feel more inclined to search for weird effects and experiment because it is expected that your photograph will not be perfect. In short, perfect can be boring.

Now-days, many objects and experiences are hyper engineered. Considerable time and resources have been invested in the next consumer product, holiday or presentation. The result is sometimes an experience or product that meets a desire in the customer at the fundamental level. However, in a lot of cases, the perfection that has been achieved lacks character, feeling and a connection with the customer. I would argue that on these occasions, perfection can be a drawback.

Clowns and acrobats know exactly what they are doing when they feint a fall, pretend to drop something or fake forgetting their lines. These deliberate mistakes build a connection with the audience and remind one of the difficulty intrinsic to the tasks being performed. I feel that the warmth and character of old buildings as opposed to modern ones owes a lot to the mistakes, impracticality and individuality of the structures. Some of the desire for retro objects may stem from a longing for imperfect but relate-able objects and experiences.

What holds for objects and experiences can also apply to some degree to people too. Don't worry so much about having perfect hair, perfect mannerisms and perfect clothes. Sometimes it is that character flaw or nose that is too big that allows those around you to connect and empathise with you.

Go forth on your imperfect path, you amazing creature.