Joy and sorrow and beauty – that pretty much covers the emotional spectrum, doesn’t it? That’s what this long, exhausting week was like. As if early September weren’t crazy-making enough on its own. That’s the thing about this daily photo project — since I’ve fallen out of the habit of daily blogging, I can look back and see how the flavour of each day adds its own filter to the photo of the day.
On Saturday, we got the call that Beloved’s mother was very sick and not likely to make it much longer. She had been in the hospital for a week or so, so the news wasn’t a huge surprise, but it was still a terrible time for the family. Beloved made the trip across the province and arrived in time to say goodbye. And then, while he was still away, I got word that the older sister of a pair of very dear old friends had also lost her long battle with cancer, leaving three young daughters behind. It was a sorrowful week, and even though these losses were really only tangential to me, affecting those I loved far more than they affected me, I still felt buffeted by death and grief. It didn’t help that this was all the same weekend as the poignant flashbacks to 9/11. In the worst of it, I posted this picture, because I really did just want to curl up and hide until it was all over and we could go back to being happy again.
This one, too, was more or less on the same theme.
The funny thing about kids, though, is that they won’t hang around and wait while you wallow in your sorrow. Especially with really young kids, even when they understand the concept of the grief, they can’t live in it for long. Follow the children and you’ll find your way to life, to warmth, to beauty, like sunshine on a late-summer day.
And you can count on a mischievous cat for some distracting shenanigans. I was just walking past the kitchen when I noticed he had filched the stuffed Elmo out of Lucas’s room, and just had to drop to his level and click the shutter while he provided the entertainment. (I love the look on Katie’s face in the last frame: “You’re so gonna get in trouble for this one!”)
And there’s no real story here, except I caught sight of myself in the mirror and liked the light and the colours. Call me Narcissus. And really, this is where my camera spends the vast majority of its time, when it’s not plastered to my face. Is this what they call ‘shooting from the hip’?
I’ve been working with textures a lot lately, exploring the effects they can have on an image. This week I have two, one that I adore and one that I don’t. This is the latter – the more I look at it, the more I wish I’d dialled down the opacity a bit, especially in the darker parts of the image. It’s sort of in the direction where I wanted to go, but to be honest, I simply ran out of time and the dog needed to be walked and homework needed to be checked and lunches just weren’t making themselves. Oh well, they can’t all be winners.
This one, however, I truly love. This was my happy place this week. This one also has some texture work, but it’s much more subtle. I was dropping the kids off at daycare and school on Monday morning when I noticed this amazing vintage suitcase sitting out beside the neighbour’s trash. (Remember “crazy garbage picking wife”? Oh yes, so totally true.) I was so excited and delighted by my discovery that I actually looked over my shoulder as I loaded it into the car, thinking there might be dozens of people on my sleepy street lining up to grab my treasure away from me. These beauties sell for $50 to $100 on eBay and Etsy – gorgeous!
It was late in the day before I could stop to properly examine it. I haven’t been able to pry open the locks just yet, and it has rivets instead of screws holding them in place, so I may have to bust the locks if I ever want to open it. The concept for this picture arrived almost full formed in my head the moment I saw the suitcase on the side of the road. The only thing that caused me trouble was the map — I couldn’t find one in the house or the car. Who doesn’t have a map — any map! — stashed away somewhere? Then I remembered the various boxes of paper clutter masquerading as souvenirs I have stacked in my closet. This map of the Paris metro was in a collection that from our honeymoon that I haven’t looked at in nearly a decade. See, being a packrat DOES pay off!
I love this picture partly because it makes me laugh, but also because it was very intentional on my part, from the props to the set-up to the colours and tones. I’m usually a sort of a grab-and-go photographer, finding and catching images on the fly. I’m pretty chuffed that I’ve now come to a point where I can come up with a concept and execute it and have it come pretty darn close (in this case, maybe even better!) than the original vision. It’s now one of my favourite pictures ever.
It was a long week, for sure, full of sadness, but also of beauty and love.
Wow. Where to begin? Mortality sucks – sorry for your tangential losses. I feel the same, accompanied by the fear that I’ve been really lucky so far on this front and sometimes it feels like I’m due for a big cosmis readjustment.
My cat used to steal socks off the drying rack, flip them on her head and take off to hide them in a bedroom. I love the cat’s paws waving around in the last picture.
I have a few friends who do photography, but I think I’m going to have to book you at some point just for the location – you’re okay being loved for your porch, right? Also, love the camera and the purse and, have you been working out? 🙂
Please tell Beloved how very sorry we are for his loss and how glad we are that he got to say goodbye. (HUGS)
Are you the lady who was in the Redbook article this month who is also an alcoholic? I read the article and it took me to your website. I am not sure I have the right one though. Thanks
Hi Stephanie, nope, that’s not me. Sorry!
My sincere condolences on the passing of your mother-in-law and on your dear friend’s sister. You certainly have had a week filled with more sadness and grief that one should have to deal with at once. Your photographs are wonderful and do capture the fact that life is always in a state of change and whatever we are dealt, how we deal with it is what counts.
I’m so sorry for both your losses.
On a lighter note, that last image is fabulous!!
And I just want to say thank-you for posting about where to pick apples. We drove out to Kilmarnock Orchard on Saturday and it totally knocked my socks off. LOVED it! I just posted aout it on my blog.
Jill