Kamera1 is the name of my external storage drive for RAW photo files, so it felt like a natural choice for the website’s name. The inspiration comes from the Wilco song “Kamera,” the second track on their album Yankee Hotel Foxtrot—one of the five records I’d bring to a metaphorical deserted island.

The song is about seeking clarity and authenticity in life, and there’s no better way to do that than with a camera in hand.

The opening verse goes:

I need a camera to my eye…To my eye, reminding

Which lies that I have been hiding..Which echoes belong

I've counted out..Days to see how far

I've driven in the dark…With echoes in my heart

In this song, the camera is a metaphor for the ability to take a clear picture of reality, without my bullshit getting in the way. It’s showing me a way to be honest with myself and to understand what’s real.

“Which echoes belong” points me toward figuring out which parts of my past still matter to me. “Echoes in my heart” speaks to how past memories continue to influence my emotions and decisions.

Later in the song, there’s a line, “Memories distort,” which highlights how those “echoes” can become unreliable or warped over time, adding to the confusion caused by distorted memories during times of personal conflict.

The camera, both in the song and in my hand, shows me where I’ve been—and it does so with vivid detail. As a measure of life around me, my camera is more reliable than I am. When my memory fails, when my lies and emotions take over, a camera is there to keep me on track.