the gathering
Friday, February 22, 2008 by Tracey Clark 
Whether I am arranging the shelves in my living room or the pictures on my wall, I find that the casual grouping of items together is what makes my little vignettes aesthetically pleasing to me. As I move things around, I let my instincts guide me.
Oh, this color looks lovely against this color and this shape is wonderful next to this one.
A little higher… a little lower…wait, higher—there! That’s it!
I can’t always explain why I am doing what I’m doing, but I know what I like when I see it. I know this about myself-- that I enjoy pairing things up, gathering them just so and tenderly composing each arrangement. I guess it’s no wonder then that when it comes to my photographs I have these same kinds of tendencies. I’m not sure I’ve ever really thought about it until I really looked at this shot of our tulip tree buds and I was struck by how much it looks like a little family, affectionately gathered together.
It got me thinking about a number of other images I have captured that seem to have similar, almost human qualities; a loving gesture, a coupling, a birth, a family. As I race through one after the next, almost in disbelief, I see it again and again. I am delighted by my discovery.
I encourage you to look again at your photographs; really look. Set out to rediscover them. See them in a new light. Do you find any elements working together that speak to you of tenderness, nurturing, and love? Do they convey what is important to you in some abstract way that you may not have noticed before? Something tells me if you look close enough, they just might.
Reader Comments (16)
I was out taking pictures of my kids playing in the snow, when I spotted these two leaves, which were almost the last two left on the tree, and they looked to be grabbing onto one another. I have always liked this shot.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/76386789@N00/425647078/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/23630286@N05/2283887670/
I've always been fond of this pic of children getting out of school on AmberGris in Belize. The beach, the uniformed children, the hotel. Seeing them behave as any child does, set in such a wondrous place with tourism as the backdrop... Children are so pure in their actions regardless of the setting.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/lucindasummerville/2284083634/
Being beautiful in your own way, even if it doesn't necessarily fit in with the crowd
http://www.flickr.com/photos/marycalissa/2139482989
Standing brave... small but mighty
http://www.flickr.com/photos/marycalissa/2139475853
Lovers
http://www.flickr.com/photos/marycalissa/2177518519
I see these trees as two old rickety sisters
http://www.flickr.com/photos/marycalissa/2207287647
Parent and child... or big sibling/little sibling
http://www.flickr.com/photos/marycalissa/2101382611
An odd couple:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/momofthreewi/370219652/in/set-72157594501622427/
Children leaving the nest:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/momofthreewi/370202915/in/set-72157594501622427/
Sounds exactly similar to how you composed this site. :)
http://www.flickr.com/photos/7473718@N04/2284253960/
It reminds me of someone resting their head on an old friend's shoulder.
the shy purple flowers...
~simply~
http://flickr.com/photos/ang_loves_jesus/2263358300/
A few in response:
Coupling:
http://marciescudder.blogspot.com/2008/02/floating-icebergs-winter-swan-series.html
http://marciescudder.blogspot.com/2008/01/deadbeats.html
Gesture:
http://marciescudder.blogspot.com/2007/12/warm-embrace.html
http://marciescudder.blogspot.com/2007/11/tangled.html
Birth:
http://marciescudder.blogspot.com/2007/10/cauldron-boil-cauldron-bubble.html
http://marciescudder.blogspot.com/2007/08/sweet-adolescence.html
Family:
http://marciescudder.blogspot.com/2007/09/talking-in-signs.html
http://marciescudder.blogspot.com/2007/09/morning-minyan.html
In looking back through some of my shots I found these two in the spirit you're talking about, but they're not nearly as uplifting as yours. The old-fashioned cup and the teapot remind me of fragile, little elderly ladies looking out as the world passes them by.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/lizgrandmaison/2284012999/in/set-72157603965872963/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/lizgrandmaison/2284801358/in/set-72157603965872963/
This one reminded me of a conversation...
http://flickr.com/photos/karate/666360640/in/set-72157600249758206/
http://flickr.com/photos/karate/814912730/in/set-72157600249758206/
Thank you so much for sharing your pictures - I don't have a lot of time to be taking pictures these days but I am getting so many ideas from this site!