Dublin’s colorful doors are legendary and even staid London has a long tradition of colored doors, though not as dramatic as Dublin’s. Lots of photographers produce series of photos of these doors, photos that end up on countless postcards and posters, typically with catchy names like “The Doors of [fill in city name].” Now that we’ve moved into a post-postcard world, snapshots of those doors probably fill social media feeds. When I find myself in cities known for their doors, I want to be attracted to them. I take photo after photo of them. I vary the composition. Yet I’m never quite satisfied.
The color contrast and textures never quite reproduce in my photograph they way I imagine them. They’re interesting, sure, but something is missing. This photo, for example, works well as a souvenir. I see the cracked, teal doors and recall immediately walking along the little side street, the morning sun warming my limbs. I remember waiting for a car to pass so I could step out into the street to take the photo. But is there more?
This one works better. I like the window poking out from behind the wall, the only splash of color. The dead plant on the right highlights the layers in this photos. Reminds us that there is space between the front wall and the window. The beam set into the adobe on the left is like a question. Why is it here? What does it support? I think there is more nuance in this photography. It hints at something.
Closer to home, I still try to make colored doors interesting. Philadelphia has no shortage of opportunities. I find that the doors in alleys and behind buildings more attractive. Perhaps because I think they are more suggestive. They imply a history filled with people living lives, moving goods, trying to slow the building’s ruing, surrendering to the ravages of time only to try, now and then, to paint over the decay.
Maybe these doors are more interesting to me not because they have been painted some vibrant color, but because they are part of a micro-ecosystem. I like these doors because they prompt me to build a story around them, they reveal layers and layers, each one another history. Colored doors are fine and all, as visuals, but I want my photographs to be more than a pleasing visuals.