I took my camera downtown to meet Lee for lunch with the kids in the hopes that I could find some fun photo-ops for yesterday's assignment, from "way up high". There is a lot of "way up high" downtown. High rises, escalators, sky ways, hanging shiny art sculptures. I even stopped at an overpass foot bridge and snagged a shot of the downtown skyline, something I say I will do every time I drive under that overpass. It's one of my favorite views of the city. Gives a sense smallness in contrast to the vastness of the city. Sometimes I wonder if feeling small is an intrinsic part of feeling human. Rabbit trail.
When I got home from my photo escapade, Monkey #1 was in the front yard practicing her cartwheels and back bends. She has been a gymnastics fiend ever since the summer olympics. I snapped a few shots of her from our front stoop with my macro zoom lens.
As I was perusing and editing my days work, the images I kept coming back to were the last few I had taken in our front yard. The downtown images were definitely "high angle". One of Lee's view from his office (a forever view of everything south of the river). Impressive, but stale. A couple art works. Interesting, but one dimensional. The cityscape. Just didn't quite capture the impressiveness I feel in person. This could all have every bit to do with my growth potential as a photographer. I definitely want to keep working on the cityscape shot.
However, I find that I keep coming back to people. Those are the shots that seem to have life, to breathe in their stillness. They are what draw me in, the story they tell. I have met plenty a photographer who can make a landscape or inanimate object breathe life. Ultimately I think it is how we distinguish our gifting. The stories we tell.
I took a few photography courses several years back. I came in to the classes with the assumption that everyone wanted to take portraits, was good at portraits. Stupid assumption. When we displayed our final editorial projects, it was beautiful to see the individuality of each artist, how they told their story. Landscapes, nature, people, abstract, realist. I love that about art. We each get to tell our story, from our perspective.
So today's story...my back bending beauty! (I like alliteration, too) When I say she has been a fiend, I mean constant, persistent work to perfect a cart wheel, a back bend. She does it for her entire recess at school. She does it as soon as she gets home. She does it "one more time, please" right before bed. I love seeing that kind of commitment from my first born. And here she is, in all of her persistent glory...
What are your favorite stories to tell? Would love to hear!
3 comments:
I never comment on your posts (not because I don't love them but just the pace of life) but I had to stop and comment today. I was a backbender as a child, over and over and over again until it was beautiful. And then once more just to enjoy it (or prove it to myself). And believe it or not, it is that physical persistence that I think has given me to most determination as a writer. I learned to pursue beauty for the joy of it.
I loved this post, dear one, and would love to see those cityscapes as well. :)
I love seeing your life. Kudos for keeping it real and breaking the rules.
Pursuing beauty for the joy of it...hmmm...need to put that one in my pipe and smoke it a while. So glad that you pursue beauty still in your beautiful books! I don't think I ever told you that Surfer Chick was a hit at our house this summer. Thanks, Kristy!
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