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Why Doors? Why Doorknobs?


I have been asked why I shoot doors and doorknobs. I shoot what appeals to me. Doors and passageways I shoot may draw me in because of their lines, shape, color, material, texture, or weathering. I most often shoot doors on very old buildings and homes, on mausoleums, churches and even discarded doors. I like to examine the wear on the door and think about generations of people who passed through, and wonder whether they noticed the ornate doorknob or the carving of the panels or the patina on the metals as the door aged.

Doors are symbols in literature for transition and metamorphosis; passages from one state to another; abandoning the old and embracing the new. That fact that most of my doors are closed may be interpreted as representing rejection, protection, secrecy or exclusion. While I am not consciously thinking about the symbolism as I shoot a closed door, I like to remind myself that if my choice of subject is saying something about me or my perspectives, that there is a doorknob there which is an invitation to move on through!