Why I Like Photographs

Meg Laughing

2010-01-07T15:43:00.002-05:00

I prefer candid photographs to staged ones. But doesn't everyone, really? Everybody wants to get their best friend with an expression of natural happiness instead of applied toothiness. Not very easy to do, though. It's pretty easy to get one without the other. Most people opt for the "happiness" half, which explains the ubiquity of lean-in-and-smile shots. Probably a good thing, too. I have loads of "natural" shots that are far less pleasing to look at than those. People being naturally bored, or naturally blinking, or naturally in the middle of talking with an expression more grotesque than conversational. It's the combination of the two that is so elusive. I have a few, and I do love them.

What I like about this photograph is that is exactly how Meg laughs. Well, not all the time. Mostly just when someone's telling a really good story. But it isn't an exception. Like a tabloid photograph of the normally beautiful celebrity caught without their makeup and a fleeting grimace on their face. On the contrary, this matches wonderfully the image I have in my head of my sister letting out a serious guffaw.

Window Shopping

2009-12-23T09:28:00.005-05:00

Winter can be a tough time for photographers. Especially photographers that get home from work at 5:30 at which time the daylight is all but gone. No evening strolls through the neighborhood or lounging in the backyard to enjoy their hobby. No taking for granted the casual availability of light. Instead, they have to actively look for it. Little spots where the dark is chased away to provide enough for a photograph or two. But the ones that are made are more valued for it.

Snowlie

2009-12-14T09:39:00.002-05:00

Olie loves the snow. Loves it! Freshly fallen is best. I make her sit at the back door and open the slider. She anxiously shuffles her feet and lets out a little annoyed moan. Eventually, she looks up at me and I say "OK", but the "O" is all she needs. She leaps of the back steps and bounds around the yard, as close as a dog can get to being a gazelle, making little trails, which she'll continue to follow 'til the next snow fall.

Occasionally I can catch her and give her a good white wash but only if I'm willing to get down in the snow myself. Here, she was on her way back from vanely searching for a snowball I had thrown moments before. She swore she saw it land, but snowballs are unusually elusive.

Kids

2009-12-04T16:22:00.002-05:00

by Helen Levitt

Man, I wish kids still played like this. There's a house down the street where, on summer afternoons, there are almost always a group of kids in the front yard playing some sort of made up game. A couple parents sit on the front stoop while the kids run around in terrific goofball style. It always makes me smile as I pass them on my way home from work. Unfortunately, it is by far the exception.

Helen Levitt was a photographer who lived in New York and made some incredible photographs of life in that city. Children were not her only subject but they may be my favorite of hers. She photographed mainly in poor neighborhoods but pity was not her motivation. She doesn't show her subjects as downtrodden and hopeless, but rather as overcoming and living in spite of their environment. Her children are often seen in truly filthy conditions, but they're too engrossed in their play to notice such trivial details. Her kids are not cute, or precious, or merely happy. They are mischievous, wild, and exuberant. The Kings of their domain. I am glad to be reminded of this more uncivilized side of children.

Passageway

2009-11-27T16:12:00.001-05:00

There really isn't much behind this photograph. No story or significant moment. Laura and I were wandering around the boat on our last vacation when she stopped to look out the porthole and I took a picture. Sometimes pictures are just purty. This is one of those.

It does remind me what fun places boats are, though. It's a bit like traveling to a different country. A country where they speak the same language but use funny words for some things. Or a country where the average height of the population is much shorter than the typical American. Or a country where the builders preferred round doors and windows to square ones. So, it's probably a lot like visiting the Shire. But on water.

Calm

2009-11-20T16:21:00.001-05:00

Before we left for Bermuda, I had visions of sapphire blue seas, sparkling beaches and cobalt skies, all waiting to be photographed and plastered on my desktop to help me through the cold winter to come. I'm typically not drawn to the post card pictures, but for some reason I was really in the mood to bag some calender art on this vacation. The weather in Bermuda, however, did not to cooperate. The weather was warm but the skies were constantly overcast and occasionally made good on their threats to soak us. The silver lining being that we never had to worry about forgetting the sunscreen.

So instead of bright sunny days providing bold and vibrant colors, I got soft, even, subdued light. We made it to the beach one day (after being soaked on the morning scooter ride) and I took this. No palm trees or sail boats. No puffy white clouds. Just the calm, pale ocean and a nagging rain cloud reminding us that his work may not yet be finished. Hm. This may help me through the winter just as well.

Across the Table

2009-11-17T18:53:00.000-05:00

Laura and I go out to dinner quite a bit. Sometimes the camera comes, too. Inevitably, one of us will pick it up and casually take a picture of the person across the table. It's a lazy photograph, one we've taken many times before. But we still seem to repeat it. They all look pretty similar, taken from the same perspective with a window typically providing some side light. But our photographic rut isn't entirely fruitless. I rather like this one.

Cattails

2009-11-09T16:54:00.002-05:00

Last year Thanksgiving. Laura went out to gather materials for the centerpiece. I decided to follow, camera in hand. She visited the gardens first, selecting some ornamental grasses then down to the beach, picking up colorful leaves along the way. The cattails offered their goods as well. Feathery tops which Laura could use for an architectural element. I didn't remember them being so tall in the summer. She was practically lost in them, her head well below those of the cattails and her hair blending with the scattered reeds. But I still found her.

Missy and James

2009-10-30T10:22:00.005-04:00

Sometimes I try to convince myself that I should be photographing more meaningful things, developing a personal style or conveying a message. To move beyond snapshots and into one of the "real" photographic genres like urban landscapes or street photography. But whenever I hear people who know talk about creating photogrphic works, the common piece of advise always seems to be to photograph what you know or what you have a passion for. So it would be an empty pursuit for me to photograph subjects I don't really care about just to participate in genres that other people deem worthwhile. And the more I think about my photographs, the more I realize that I already take pictures of what I care about, my friends and family. They may not be of interest to a very wide audience like other subjects would be, but they are of interest to me. And if pictures like the one above are the only ones that I end up making, then I will have a happy photographic career.

M & B

2009-10-23T11:48:00.002-04:00

I recently got to visit my sister who lives out east. Laura and I had just gone on a cruise and our port of departure was Boston, so we decided to hang out couple extra days before flying back. It was fun to see Meg and Brian in their home and get a better idea of what their day-to-day is like. I got to see her research lab, the t-stop where they usually hop on the train for trips into the city, and even tag along on their Saturday morning run to Trader Joes. The most enjoyable part, though, was watching them together. They're just so cute. Always walking with their arms around each other whether it's down the busy Boston sidewalks or through Harvard's Museum of Natural History. Then Brian would make an observation about how the mineral on display looks like it might be a chunk from Superman's Fortress of Solitude, and Meg would laugh and shake her head. This photo was taken on the way back from one such outing. Classic M & B.

Laura

2009-10-16T14:45:00.000-04:00

You might have noticed a particular blond haired girl showing up in about every other frame here. That's Laura. She's been exceedingly tolerant of me as I've delved into my new hobby. She usually just ignores me when I'm taking pictures of her (which is the way I prefer it) and only occasionally resorts to less subtle tactics of determent. I think I've already mentioned that I'm more interested in pictures with people in them and, well, Laura is usually the people I have available. I also rather like her and intend to spend the rest of my life with her. The combination of those two things means that I have lot's of photographs of Laura.

So why this one? I don't know. It's very clean, crisp. Her face stands out clearly from her black coat and umbrella. I also like the out of place pieces of hair. But mostly it's her expression of calm expectation. Just a girl waiting in the rain for her boy to put down his camera and kiss her.

Terrace

2009-10-09T16:05:00.004-04:00

I have this theory, very lightly tested, that a good photograph must have at least one of the following; light, form, and gesture. The first two are rather obvious (and perhaps lacking from this example) but the third is more elusive. It usually pertains to pictures with people in them, but not necessarily, and refers to an action or movement or pose that conveys an emotional aspect of the subject. I took a couple pictures of the guests out on the terrace, but this one was the only one that I liked. The girl on the right, looking over her shoulder, that gesture, is enough to make it more than just a bunch of people standing around. I'm not really sure what she's looking at. Her shoe? Her companion is checking, too. It's an ambiguous gesture, but that just makes it more interesting. At least for me.

I don't know. Was a simple gesture enough to save this photograph?

Tourist

2009-10-02T11:47:00.000-04:00

I'm such a woose. I would love to go outside and take pictures of people all day long. You know, making clever observations about our culture through the everyday actions of others. Landscapes are ok, but for whatever reason, I much prefer photographs with people in them. Some human element. And although Laura makes a lovely model, I'm sure she wouldn't mind if I found some additional subjects. But whenever I'm out, about to lift the camera to my eye, I get these apprehensions about what they might be thinking. "Why is he taking a picture of me?" "I don't like my picture taken without a good reason." "Do I have a booger on my nose?" "I don't trust that guy." The modern association of man with camera and pervert doesn't really help matters either. So I usually chicken out and end up with a lot of pictures of people's backs, when they're not likely to notice me. Oh well. I still get some that I like.

And a bonus photo since this one fits the theme so well.

Pot Roast

2009-09-25T13:26:00.001-04:00

I was half way through the batch of photos from our most recent vacation when I showed Laura this photograph telling her it was my favorite so far. She said it was boring and I said, "But I like boring photographs."

So many photographs are hyperbole. They strive to find the most beautiful mountaintop, the moment of greatest drama, or the subject most destitute. And while it's often fun to make these types of photographs, it can be harrowing to be constantly bombarded with such extreme images. Boring photographs let me catch my breath and appreciate the mundane.

They're kind of like pot roast. Not as exciting or exotic as sushi or foie gras, but nothing gives you that warm comforted feeling like a slowly simmered roast covered in tender root vegetables. They have a sense of familiarity, even though you may not be acquainted with the particular subject in the photograph. This photograph was taken on a boat in the middle of the Atlantic, but to me, it feels much closer than that.

Mom and Dad

2009-09-22T10:42:00.003-04:00

Probably my favorite photo of my mom and dad. At least that I've taken. They had driven all the way to Chicago to hang out with the rest of my friends and family at a baseball game for my birthday, which I'm sure they had very little interest in (the baseball, not the birthday). It also happened to be about 33 degrees and raining. But my mom is always ready to laugh at a less than ideal situation. The more absurd the better. And my dad quietly takes it all in stride, a smile lurking just beneath the surface alonside a chuckle for my mom's silliness.

Thanks for all the laughs, among other things.

Congratulations

2009-09-10T14:04:00.001-04:00

A couple of my friends recently had children and I got to take some photos of them in the hospital right after the births. It's an interesting atmosphere. Usually lot's of family and friends around, crowded into a smallish room. Baby gets a turn in each of the visitors arms but usually doesn't bother waking up. The excitement of the birth has worn off and Mom and Dad can't do much but wait around for further instructions from the staff. We talk about little details regarding the birth and Laura sneaks a peak at Baby's chart strictly out of professional curiosity. They get phone calls here and there from people who couldn't make it in person but still want to wish them a congratulations. The lights are down. It's quite, a bit anxious, and happy.

Laura Watched

2009-09-07T11:34:00.003-04:00

This was an interesting night. We were in the living room and thought we smelled a campfire. Turned out to be more like a house fire. Our backyard neighbors' chimney had caught fire and by the time we got out there, the crowd was pretty large. It was a Sunday night, so there were lot's of folks from the church around. The people who lived in the house were standing by patiently, not distraught, just waiting for the whole ordeal to be over with. It wasn't an inferno, just a bunch of smoke and a few flames licking out from under the awnings. We'd lived in our house a little over two years and but that night was the first time we'd met those neighbors. Not very sociable, we are.

Of course there's not much about a house fire in this photo. Except perhaps the isolated and exposed feeling you would have if you were watching your own house burn.

Arms

2009-09-02T11:39:00.002-04:00

A little psychoanalysis. My mom would say that I like photographs like this because of my need for fairness and justice. Stay with me a sec.

When I played sports as a kid I hated being on the wrong end of a bad call. I couldn't stand being accused of something I didn't do and the injustice drove me crazy. Similarly (I think), I still don't like games where random chance plays a large part in determining the outcome. If someone is dominating for the whole game then a roll of the die turns winners into losers, it's simply infuriating. Where's the fairness in that?

And of course the injustices don't remain confined to sports and games. The show up all around us. So occasionally I need to take all of the random occurrences I see around me and and put them neatly in order. After all, justice is, in a sense, putting things back in the proper order. Nice straight lines. Subjects placed simply in the center. No mysterious abstract forms. Everything cleanly in focus. Ahhh.

Too much of a stretch? Aw well. My mom would understand.

Weurfel Park

2009-08-29T12:19:00.000-04:00

Up in Traverse City this weekend, but I don't think there are any baseball games in the plans. Ric loves the Beach Bums. He goes to games regularly even if it's just him and a hot dog. So when we come up for weekends, it's not uncommon for the family to make a night of it at Weurfel Park. But the rain and cold wouldn't be bearable even for the die hard fans. August 29th and Ric had to turn on the furnace last night.

The Beach Bums are part of the Frontier League, a step below the Major League's farm system. It's really just a bunch of guys getting paid a few thousand dollars to play baseball for the summer. Sounds pathetic but it's kind of what I imagine professional baseball was like in its infancy. Young kids taking summers off from their regular jobs. Going around playing small parks where a PA system is barely justified. Trying to extend their high school or college athletic careers just a bit longer. Not bad for a summer evening's entertainment.

I've given up trying to be the amateur sports photographer. I don't have the patience to sit with the camera to my eye waiting for the moment of action to occur. Especially at baseball. I find no pleasure in watching the game through a viewfinder. So this is what I usually bring home.

Pippin & Grandma

2009-08-26T15:12:00.004-04:00

Pippin loves her Grandma. She's Mom and Dad's dog really, but Franny also gets a lot of her love. She has the strangest habit of getting really, really close to your face but never licking it. You keep expecting a cold wet tongue but all you ever get are little short sniffs. It's sweet, but a bit unnerving.

Pippin isn't too sure about the man with the camera. She's gonna stay right by Grandma until he moves along. Grandma can carry on with her conversation. She's got the cyclops covered. When the situation has calmed down, she'll hop up in the chair and keep Grandma's lap warm.

On the table next to the chair (out of the frame) is a TV remote with buttons the size of postage stamps. I think my dad bought it for her as a joke but she liked it so much that it stuck around. It's her little control center.

Bridge Jumper

2009-08-26T09:46:00.008-04:00

by Justin Kimball

Last time I was in Chicago I went to Bookman's Alley with Ric. I was browsing through their photo books and found Justin Kimball's Where We Find Ourselves. It's a book about the American vacation and it seems that Mr. Kimball has been everywhere I have been. Not Disneyworld or Rocky Mountain ski resorts. More like Muskegon River Camp & Canoe and Nordhouse Dunes. Sleepy state parks where hobo dinners are the standard fare. The scenery isn't awe-inspiring but I have more connections with these photographs than anything I've ever seen in a calendar or postcard. This guy could have been any kid at my high school and that bridge on any road in Osceola county. For some reason there's comfort in shared experiences.

In Bed

2009-08-23T19:55:00.008-04:00

Laura loves naps. This is usually where I'll find her Saturday morning after she gets out of the shower. If we're supposed to be going somewhere that day, I'll go upstairs and whine at her a little bit to get her going. She'll roll over and let out a mousy moan, "It's so cozy". Hard to argue. The only thing missing is Olie, who, after eating breakfast, will usually come back upstairs and curl up on my pillow if the spot is available. She's very passive aggressive.

The painting we found in a thrift store in Albuquerque. It's a mess. The paint is chipping off, there are some holes in the canvas, and the frame is gouged terribly, but we still like it. I don't think it's ever going to get us on TV at the Antiques Road Show, but Laura and I are always keeping our eyes and ears open for the artist. The light fixture is actually an old gas lamp. When the house was wired for electricity, they retrofitted it with a light bulb socket and used the old tubing to run the wire. Ghetto. Goes well with the painting, though.