Telling the Story

I love for my photos to tell a story.  I want (and hope) for people to feel the emotion that I'm trying to convey through my photography.  It was only natural that once my son joined his high school marching band this year that I was going to photograph them.  Sure, I could take all the group shots and field performance shots of them I want, but that wouldn't really tell their story.  When I took the photos above and then put them together in a diptych, the photos took on a whole different meaning.  These aren't just a bunch of kids marching around on a field at the half-time of a football game.  These are kids that are proudly disciplined and take what they do seriously.  Wow, you make us look so important, my son said upon seeing this.  Exactly, I said.  For my 14 year old to tell me that, my story telling skills are obviously doing just fine.

Today, share your photo stories with us. We'd love to see them.

split personality

Sometimes there's just no way to make a decision between two opposites. Black or white? Hot or cold? Sweet or Sour? Silver or gold?

Instead of choosing, why not just split the difference?

Today, show us both sides of the story. Whether it's two things in one frame or a diptych of differences, share something that offers a flip side.

equal parts

Having a 12-year-old foodie in the house is equal parts bliss and tempatation. I couldn't resist these cookies she made on a number of levels. Obviously.

Share with us today the power of two (or more). Whether it's a before and after, a sequence of something, a collection of sorts, a gathering of goodness, or just plain incriminating evidence revealing the truth of the matter, share with us something that reminds us that there is always more to the story.

life is a process

    

Everything around us experiences it's own process. I am endlessly intrigued by the cycle of things. From the bud, to the bloom and beyond, sometimes its a mere matter of days that this cycle takes place. Even in the midst of winter, there are changes in the landscape around us or even things that surround us in the comfort of our own homes.

Are there befores, durings or even afters that coax your lens?

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It's no secret I've got this coming spring on my mind, with Picture Spring and all (hence the spring-themed featured photo today). I am thrilled to congratulate a few sisters on their complimentary registration for Picture Spring.

The winners of the random drawing are Bright and Blithe, Andie Edwards and Suffering Summer.

YAY!

angel

I'm lucky to have a spouse that is often a willing participant in my artistic endeavors. Occasionally I have a slightly off-the-wall idea and John is usually the one I turn to for help. In this case, it went something like this..."so I was thinking that we should go in the backyard and take pictures of each other making snow angels in a foot of snow. And by the way it's 5 degrees outside" Not only did my husband gladly take part in my little project, but also climbed over the railing of our deck and jumped backwards into the yard so he wouldn't make any footprints in the unmarred snow. But what we didn't really realize was that this particular snow had a thick layer of icy crust on top. So when John fell backwards to create his snow angel, his limbs just sort of stuck there all bent in every direction and he reminded me of the Scarecrow from the Wizard of Oz. I think our whole neighborhood heard my laughter. Eventually he was able to break through the crust and make the classic snow angel. And while my vision didn't exactly match the outcome, it ended up being a memorable moment and a I got a pretty cool souvenir. I ended up turning this little diptych into to/from tags for Christmas gifts this year and they seemed to be a big hit amongst friends and family.

Do you have a willing model? Someone who will humor you when you have an idea for a photo?