finding beauty in your home

"I adore her (Sally Mann) work, and I subscribe to her basic notions of photography - shoot what you know, and - you can find great images right in your own backyard. One of my best friends and I have an ongoing discussion surrounding this topic - he thinks he needs to pack up the car and get away somewhere for a few weeks in order for the photography muses to show him the way.

I have to admit, I waffle during our discussions -- there are times when I'm convinced I need to pack up a few cameras and a bag full of film and head back to Havana - or to some faraway place -- but then I realize that some of my most favorite images were taken within a 10 mile radius of home."

- Bob, the brilliant photographer behind No Traces.

I love this.

Because sometimes I do forget. The simple joy of a piece of chocolate cake and a glass of milk. My children playing lying on the living-room rug, the gentle evening light. The delightful sound of someone laughing, or falling rain. Sometimes I forget that simple, truthful beauty can be found in every little corner of my home.

Gather up the joys and the love, capture the beauty of your life in your home and share the links to your images in the comment section below.

And don't forget to leave a comment here today for a chance to win your own copy of America at Home with your own custom cover. It's the fourth post of our Sundays at Home series for November.

Comments

[lora]

That photo on No Traces is unreal!
I was just talking with a girlfriend of mine who is right along side me feeling the need to do just what you are takling about. Take photos in our homes of the obvious things we walk by every day.
we think its the onset of the winter months. =)
Great post. thanks for sharing.

[s.allred]

I live in an un-glamorous apartment with no yard but I was walking yesterday and found these treasures only a few hundred feet from the asphalt parking lot. Beauty is everywhere- even when it is cold and all the leaves are gone.

http://createeveryday.blogspot.com/2008/11/out-walking.html

[brittany]

i love the picture on not traces. it is unbelievable!

[Mod GIrl]

We live in a fixer-upper... despite the bad carpet, orange counter tops, and ugly wallpaper one of my passions is shooting photos of beauty within my home.

http://modobjectathome.blogspot.com/2008/08/new-doors.html

[Christy]

My son found the beauty in our house this time in the form of his brother. A bit uncommon, but we'll take it for this minute as in 10 minutes they will be fighting!

http://yankeeinontario.blogspot.com/2008/11/21-on-list-of-things-to-be-thankful-for.html

[Kimberly]

I snuck outside two days ago and even though everything looked dead, I found these fabulous little treasures when looking through Stella~

www.mimicharmante.blogspot.com

[~ kristina ~]

I usually find my photos in the kitchen!

http://meadowlarkdays.blogspot.com/2008/11/my-life-is-pretty-simple-compared-to.html

[cindy k]

the photo on no traces is beautiful. i'm reading 'letting go of the camera' by brooks jensen and he says the same thing as you about looking for new subjects in your own 'backyard'. it's a wonderful book as i'm a newbie photographer. my image has to do with some self portraits i'm doing with objects i love
http://flickr.com/photos/71443419@N00/3041602102/

[Jess]

http://www.flickr.com/photos/jesspunky/3053015420/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/jesspunky/3052180717/in/photostream/
These are my daughter and my pursuits lately, being a princess and making bread.

[Pamster]

I couldn't agree more. Sometimes the light in our backyard is gorgeous and my kids are cooperative and I can get some really fantastic photos. The photos in this set feel magical to me (of course I'm biased since I'm their mom).
http://www.flickr.com/photos/qcaller/sets/72157608472177428/

[camerashymomma]

i recently started this set on flickr, photos from our mornings since our routine will be changing as i head back to work. this was my way of savoring all that was good, in our home, in the morning hours.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/camerashymomma/sets/72157608786534818/

and i do find inspiration in my home, with sunlight and boy at play. but often when i am lacking in motivation, i'll head to the nearest park for a change of scenery and always always taking photographs of flowers and trees and all things i love about nature get my mojo jumpstarted for homelife again.

great post. love the photo!

[Liz]

I'm lucky enough to live on a tropical island, so beauty is all around me every day. But I find the most meaningful images are always of my family. Watching my daughter blossom provides endless inspiration.

[dr lyn]

I love photographing the everyday. I've started looking back, as I'm nearing the end of my photo a day year, and am so thankful for what I caught with my camera. They aren't all great pictures -- some are blurry or clearly taken in a hurry at the end of the day -- but they show LIFE in every shot. It's amazing to see, day by day, how things changed; and how much has stayed blessedly the same.

They are beautiful because they tell a story -- not because each photo is a work of art.

[trupeach]

i am reminded of a blog entry i posted a while back: little details from around the home:
http://purpleinme.blogspot.com/2008/08/piling-up_12.html

[Kate C.]

This post sounded sooo familiar! It's an internal debate I have *all* the time. My flick rstream is full of things with ten feet (not even miles!) around my house. ;)


http://www.flickr.com/photos/katherinec/2916156601/

The view from our backyard.

[nikkole!]

great post to remind us to open our eyes in our own spaces.

this is my favorite thing in my home day and night....
http://www.flickr.com/photos/_nikkole/3043812743/in/set-72157605284394257/

[misti]

http://www.flickr.com/photos/mistilittle/2253000623/in/set-72157604848078700/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/mistilittle/2210799178/in/set-72157594301023420/

My cats are a good source of photo entertainment!

[Rachel]

Some things in my house are meant to be beautiful and are easy to find:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/rachelpasch/2725931495
Some things in my house require a bit more looking to tease out the beauty:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/rachelpasch/3022940035/
As always, with photography, I think it's a matter of keeping your eyes (and your heart) open.

[Angie]

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3278/3001089491_b96bf81c2f_m.jpg

I love hatboxes. Every time I buy a new one I tell myself this is the last.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3118/2721211005_55fff86c65.jpg?v=0

Small feet belonging to sleeping children appear in the most unexpected of places.

[Ivette Rosinski]

Thanks, as always, for the wonderful reminder. We all get so caught up in trying to get that next inspired image - and, never moreso then at this time of the year - there is magic within our own worlds.

[Christina]

I am very much an at-home photographer. I love to capture the simple, beautiful little moments that will be fogotten if not preserved forever on film - like this one http://www.flickr.com/photos/christinator/3051169905/

[Cis]

I think this quote sums it up so well:

"To find new things, take the path you took yesterday."
~John Burroughs~

[Heather]

My home is one of my favorite studios. And my car! :)

http://www.flickr.com/photos/strawberrygoldie/2763788802/in/set-72157606587768871/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/strawberrygoldie/3042009209/in/set-72157607764138512/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/strawberrygoldie/3053487608/in/photostream/

[Wanda]

Thanks for the link to No Traces. I now have him in my feeds to watch.

I took this the first winter I had the camera. For some reason, I really liked the shot and it was one of few I didn't delete.

http://whatwouldwandado.blogspot.com/2008/11/beautyright-here-at-home.html

[Sharon]

The timing of your post is perfect--exactly the reminder I need right now. I'm sitting here with my DSLR and my point and shoot digital camera on my desk. I've been glancing over and wondering where I can go to shoot. I'm beginning to realize I'm already there. Thank you!

[Chris]

Great post, great pics, great everything!

[Anita]

I struggle with this all the time. I LOVE to travel and found my passion for photography during those travels so it is ingrained in my mind that travel=photography. But alas, you can't travel all the time and its true some of my best photos were taken at home.

http://anitaroachphotography.blogspot.com/2008/11/photographing-your-home.html

[Bria]

I find hours of entertainment shooting my cat, Marvin, inside things in the house... From pants to closets to drawers, he's everywhere!

[Toni]

This is my first time posting here. I love shooting in my back yard and in my home - that's from where most of my images originate.

Front yard:
http://dailyvignette.wordpress.com/2008/11/23/potential-christmas-card/

Inside:
http://dailyvignette.wordpress.com/2008/11/19/happy-birthday-toni/

Back yard:
http://dailyvignette.wordpress.com/2008/11/10/aspen-the-tree-not-the-city/

[Hay]

Yep, sometimes I get frustrated that as a homeschooling mum of four, I don't get the freedom to take my photography to new places a lot. But home is definitely where the heart is!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/hippyhappyhay/3051493509/in/photostream/

[Gail]

Thanks for another beautiful post....it started me thinking about all the photos I've been trying to organize lately - my older ones are mostly travel snaps and my newer ones seem to be more from the home...altho both have their places and we need both I think I enjoy taking and looking at the simple ones from home the best. Now that it is getting colder that is a good thing!

My example shows pretty colors in the clutter!
http://www.flickr.com/photos/22733432@N08/3053902066/

[Leah G]

Here lately, I've been more of the mindset that I wish we could pack up and run away so that the photography muses would be my friends again. I think that it's mostly because everytime I try to shoot something, the clutter distracts me. Hmm, maybe I should worry about some "stuff removal".

[Puna]

Thank you once again for reminding me that Sundays are special.

[kosenrufu mama]

i love that no traces work, amazing. here some wonderful moments at home, my lovely little house, my nest , the center of my family life.
http://esterdaphne.blogspot.com/2008/11/sabato.html
http://esterdaphne.blogspot.com/2008/07/disordine-per-ordine.html

[leaca]

I was cleaning out my husbands drawers and found old valentines candy. I had no clue what to do with it so I photographed it. http://www.simplyblogged.com

[Jen - Beebee Mod]

I love my chairs and dried flowers.
http://americana.visualblogging.com/archives/11454_1807447140/315519

[Shawna]

In staying home, I learn to focus on the details and try my best to expand my techniques rather than my neighborhood. It's been a challenge and it's been fun.

http://tumblieweed.blogspot.com/2008/11/beauty-in-this-home.html

[Julie Alvarez]

I adore taking pictures in my home, and that's where I spend like 90 percent of my time, so I never run out of inspiration here!
Here are some little images from it:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/juliealvarez/3050926643/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/juliealvarez/3045143691/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/juliealvarez/3053555449/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/juliealvarez/3037700549/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/juliealvarez/3032652500/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/juliealvarez/3027382337/

[Jodyangel]

Wow this is sooo what my photography seems to be about. With my busy schedule I just don't have time to wander far from home. So lately I've been concentrating on beautiful things in my home. And light. Light seems to pop up everywhere near me lately lol. I'm walking up my stairs and I say.."mMmm great light!"
Hubby thinks I've lost the plot. But it's ok. I'm just finding it =)

http://www.flickr.com/photos/jodyangel/3043807253/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/jodyangel/3052342107/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/jodyangel/3034962739/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/jodyangel/2781812580/

[ELK]

photos taken at home take on a special meaning ~so intimate.

my kitchen window sill is a favorite spot :

http://www.flickr.com/photos/sammymom/2894039932

[mary]

This is the house I grew up in, and my children have been raised here, too. It is so familiar to me; yet every once in awhile, I find a view that makes it seem mysterious and different, and quite beautiful:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/9068078@N05/2476405946/

[Jeanine]

With the arrival of winter, I've taken to looking for treasures in my home to photograph. I also buy little props to keep things interested, such as these guys:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/wonderphotos/3055067600/

[Tracy]

Oh yes-the gorgeous {NOT} seventies wallpaper in my kitchen is not an ideal backdrop but it is home and with each room we redo my kids get nostalgic over the loss of pattern (hideous though that peach and brown are). So I know someday I will look back on the pictures of the kids doing crafts at the table and say-ph remember THAT paper...yes but it is still home.

[leigh]

Here are my three kids, in all their beauty, on my bed. Our room should be a studio, the lighting is good in there.


http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3273/3051451580_254be70c21_b.jpg
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3135/3051450902_0bea202663_b.jpg
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3014/3051450076_85e9a919e1_b.jpg

[Amanda]

I struggle with what and where to shoot in my home, I feel like there's not enough light and too much mess! I've mostly experimented in my kitchen...

http://www.flickr.com/photos/amgreco92/2891145398/

[melody is slurping life]

Home is where my heart (and most often my camera) is. And thank you for the intro to and link to No Traces, Bob. Wow!

[NatureMama]

I could leave thousands of links here, because around house and home is where I always take my shots, not having really travelled in a long time! But I leave a couple of recent ones, instead.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/naturemama/3020557590/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/naturemama/3019719913/in/photostream/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/naturemama/3019455419/in/photostream/

[Karyn]

Looking into the kitchen from the garage at dusk.

http://flickr.com/photos/kayak57/3054729425/

[Kacey]

There are times I find that the simplest chore around the house is an unending photo opportunity...

http://www.wineonthekeyboard.com/2008/11/21/when-a-man-does-a-chore/

[Naomi]

I'm enjoying capturing the afternoon sun as we gradually head into summer
http://www.flickr.com/photos/nomesthenome/3002433476/in/set-72157602729938532/