Sunday, November 28, 2010

seeing more than you thought you would

post #9
      Thanksgiving weekend, our first chilly weather, a funeral visitation for Cobern Fannin whose garage/gas station has kept various vehicles of ours going for years and years -- all these changes make me think of a reality that photography has helped me be aware of, that change is a large part of the work I do.  In an earlier post I wrote of the importance of Being There.  And of Never Knowing What Might be Important.  Now I add Look for Whatever (which includes Celebrate chance and change and Appreciate people you meet.) 

       One way to share my fascination with the unexpected is to show two pairs of photos, each having one more intentional effort and a second one close by, but I wouldn't have seen it had I not been trying for the first one.  Pair #1 happened on Labor Day ten years ago, early in my photo career.  I was applying for a grant and decided I'd use all seven photos required by choosing from multiple photos on a single day of shooting.  I think I was trying to point out that I could take more than one good photo in a day!  My neighbor Larry's barn nearby was filled with newly hung tobacco, so I took some slides of that, using a tripod.  While there, I happened to look at the other side of the barn door, and saw the tendril!  Who knew!  I love this quieter photo, and I loved discovering it was there.  So, for several reasons, I remain grateful for that partial grant I did receive from the Kentucky Arts Council . 
hanging to cure
tendril




    














       Pair #2 happened this fall.  For a week I passed by these bales of hay lined up, sometimes in sun, sometimes in shade.  Last year I had filmed my neighbor Herman as he mowed those hillsides and made his bales, but I didn't see any lined up the way they were this year.  I had to wait for morning light, so I took the photo, now a digital one, the day my husband and I were driving to Lexington.  (Where I live, the term neighbor isn't limited to next door.)  By the time we noticed a section of the hillsides that had not yet been cut for hay, I was in a hurry, taking only a few shots.  I've made note cards out of both images, shown here with their card titles.

over hill, over bales

fall field
   Two different views of same places, three paragraphs when I've promised only two per post, thus, "four" the moment, thanks as always, Ann



2 comments:

  1. Ann, these images and your reflections are fabulous. Thank you so much for documenting your work for all of us, even those less gifted with visuals than you...

    every best wish on this important project-- Gail http://kaboomwriters.com

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  2. Ann, thanks for sharing your photos and the process. I, too, have experienced trying to capture one image and being led to other worthy images. For me, a great benefit of using my camera is how it slows me down and encourages me to focus.

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