Behind the Photograph
“You don’t make a photograph just with a camera. You bring to the act of photography all the pictures you have seen, the books you have read, the music you have heard, the people you have loved.”
It should come as no surprise that I absolutely adore good words, and good words that lead to other good words are what keeps keep me ticking. This Sunday I got about halfway through the Ansel Adams quote shared by Ali Edwards as part of her #givesunday project and I knew, I knew there was going to be more to it. I kept thinking about all the things that I bring to every photograph I take, all the stories, all the people, all the mistakes, all the luck, and so I opened up a blank Word document and began typing. I separated thoughts with a simple asterisk, but I tried to not stop, and instead channeled the stream of consciousness energy of my teenage years. I typed and typed until I'd made my own very personal version of patterned paper.
I typed straight through, knowing that some of the text would be covered later by the photo and quote, and I don't regret that at all; not all of the words need to be read. What I love is that the layout, for the words that can be seen and the ones that cannot is infused with the story, my story.
Above is a bit of a noted view, those tiny stitched "x" marks made from a skein of embroidery floss I took from my mother's basket during my friendship bracelet frenzied youth. I love that this little piece of history binds this layout together.
There's something to telling the truth about who we are, about all of the small moments, people, and treasures that we've encountered that can make a very simple combination of paper and tape into something special.
I am so incredibly grateful for the comments on my last post. It was just the kind of kick in the pants advice I needed, and I feel insanely lucky to have people in my life who will share their words when my own are lacking. I have a feeling that the next time I do a layout like this with a background of memories, this period in my life will be included, and these words, yours and mine, echoed on the page.