November 11, 2009

The thing about photography is that its just so done.   Our culture is image saturated. That, and photography produces so much product.  In fact, the product actually gives me the creeps when I think too much about it.  Our generation is so documented.  We are up to our eyeballs in documentation.  And it feels narcissistic, somehow.   Does that stop me from keeping huge plastic tubs of photos of my children?  Of course not.  Does that stop me from keeping back up hard drives devoted to family photography?   No.  Still, it creeps.*

What I love is the process of taking the pictures.  That's the goody!  And today is one of those increasingly rare days of rain the way rain can only be in North Carolina.  We used to get these days for weeks at a time.  Rain rain rain and rain.  Last year's musty flannel cold on the shoulder saturated soft greened gray on and deep to the well bottoms of the bare feet of our huge trees see the heron on the rock get used to it rain from the bright sky land of deciduous and wet and chilled and back inside where a fashion magazine could only smell obscene.  Where is the cocoa?  Now, we are living IN the good land.  I need only the smallest excuse to get out there.  A camera will do nicely.

I've been sick.  I'm so over being sick.  They keep telling me to rest.  The cow is milked.  The kids are snuggled upstairs playing with friends.   Dinner is simmering for tonight.  The cream is set out to sour for butter.  The milk is chilled and tucked into the refrigerator.   I just saved the almonds from over toasting.  Maybe pasta with butter, garlic, the last of the fresh basil (rain washing right now) topped with toasted almonds.  Lunch.  Only one thing missing.  Hurry home through the rain, my love.
* uh, much like blogging


6 comments:

Anonymous said...

Love those....esp the last one!

Maria

val said...

lovely.

MOM #1 said...

Beautiful documentation. ;-)

Heather said...

I think it's awe that drives me to want to get into photography. I see so much beauty and wonder, while out wandering around, in just plain old ordinary things. And I think, because we are so used to images, all the time, so many people miss those real-life things that inspire thought and purpose and imagination and curiosity. And when I see those things, I want to remind the world that they're there.

Then after I take a few photos of that tiny purple flower in the bed of dead leaves that so inspired me that day, I see a billion photos like it online or somewhere. But it's not lost just because it's been done too much - just means that photography has become about the personal instead of the public. That's my thought anyway.

rae said...

Ooh. Off to find you a link from an NPR story I heard yesterday. Heather's comment and your post just reminded me....

rae said...

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=120283879

There ya go, chickie! You might really like what he has to say. Muah!