by Editor Wicher Bos
Edited and published by Yvette Depaepe, the 13th of January 2023

Here are some wonderful words… - not mine - but listen: 

“And above all
watch with glittering
eyes the whole
world around you
because the greatest
secrets are always
hidden in the most
unlikely places.
Those who don't
believe in magic
will never find it.” 

'Haciendo Planes' by Javier Senosiain

What a beautiful thought… beautifully worded… what a gifted author… he was probably an avid photographer… or so I thought… does he not perfectly describe how photographers observe their surroundings, the people they meet, the special light that exists for just a few minutes...

You may’ve guessed the name – famous author Roland Dahl (1916-1990) who left us some remarkable books, e.g., Mathilda.
But was he a photographer?

n/t by Javier Senosiain

So, I set myself the task of finding out… and an article in The Guardian (see ref) suggested he was. Some quotes:

“Dahl's grandson, Luke Kelly, … came upon the photographs in the form of negatives and contact sheets in the writer's archive as it was being sorted for the new centre.”

"They are very striking. The photos he took show what a strong, creative, highly visual mind he had," said Kelly

“Fresh details of Dahl's life and times which provide clues to the inspiration behind some of his imaginings have been found in a stash of photographs, most taken by him.”

“His interest in photography began at his second school, Repton. One of the images to be auctioned shows a cross-section of a grass stalk he took in 1933.”

“In a hitherto unpublished letter, he wrote: ‘It is jolly good fun photographing such things as the brain of an earth worm." 

I never knew. Unfortunately, his photos are not openly available on the internet … so … let me illustrate his words with what 1x.com has to offer:

“…WATCH WITH GLITTERING EYES...” 

'Following you' by Naufal

'|\' by Svetlana Bekyarova

'EYES' by Sanghamitra Bhattacharya

'Eyes' by Andrey Lobodin

'little secrets' by Piet Flour

'Olga' by Zachar Rise

'Mathilda' by Alexander Vinogradov

'Eye extension' by John Wilhelm

'The insect world' by Lidia Vanhamme

'face of pieces' by Ivan Marlianto

'Desire' by Darko Cuder

“…WORLD AROUND YOU…” 

'Take your time ...' by Norbert Maier

n/t by Teruhiko Tsuchida

'When the going gets tough...' by Jorun Larsen

'Night Road' by Patrick Foto

“…THE GREATEST SECRETS…”

'Secrets' by Frank Busch

'Secrets of The Sisterhood' by Kevin Ng

“…UNLIKELY PLACES…”

'Magical Night' by Bragi Ingibergsson - BRIN

'The Wanderer' by Jaeyoun Ryu

'magic scottland' by Karin Claus

'Magic Night' by Daniel Viñe

'Magical retreat' by Gerald Macua

~ by Schnette

“…BELIEVE IN MAGIC…”

'magic...' by Adam Dobrowolski

A Peek into Reality by Javier Roldan

'magic box' by Alexander

'Magic dust' by Natalia Zhukova

'Le Sylphe' by ChristopheMaclaren

Well, Dahl’s words challenge us photographers, to seek, find and to capture the magic!
Please keep sharing them here on 1x.com for everyone to enjoy.
Have good light!
The Dahl-Challenge stands…

Wicher

Reference: https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2004/dec/08/books.arts?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other