7:41 am Possibly 1993 - 1995

This black and white photograph, '7:41 am' was shot by Jim Goldberg, an American photographer born in 1953. I imagine Goldberg in that room, the beeping of machines, the fluorescent lights, and the weight of witnessing someone in such a vulnerable state. What do you focus on? How do you communicate the profundity of the situation? The watch. The man has a Casio wristwatch and it's the only element in focus: 7:41 in the morning, in a nondescript room. There's an oxygen tube and the vague form of the man's face. I wonder if Goldberg wanted to freeze this moment. The digital time display is so banal, but it reminds us of the inexorable march of time. It’s a memento mori—a symbol of mortality. The contrast between the banality of the watch and the profundity of the moment is haunting. It's a stark reminder that we're all just passing through, and sometimes, all we have is the present moment.