Self Portrait Tuesday
It's my first self portrait Tuesday. But I really wanted to give this a try. While reading other people's blog I've come across a number of contributors. It's an interesting project and gives people a little time for self-reflection. I was once fascinated with photography. In high school I lived in the community arts center darkroom on weekend mornings. I've never been as deeply involved with photography as I was for about three years there. At times I miss it. And at times I feel like whatever talent and eye I had then is long gone.
But I still love photos, especially family photos. I think this is because my family doesn't talk a lot. And gowing up we didn't have pictures all over the place. We sometimes had slide shows which were lots of fun. I need to try to get my dad to give a slide show the next time I'm at home. I rummage for photos at my parent's house. Photos I have never seen before that tell me a little about my parents. Like my dad sticking his tongue out at my mom on their honeymoon. It just conveys so much about him that I never knew, or lost sight of when I went through horrible teen years. My dad takes his photos pretty seriously too. He's a quiet kind of guy and isn't sloppy with "I love you" and hugs. But when each of his kids turned 21 he put together an entire photo album of family photos--ones I had never seen before unearthed from old slides. He wanted us to see all the joy we had brought into his and my mom's lives. So I have plenty of good fodder for these projects.
This month theme for self portrait Tuesday is Personal History. I'm late in joining this month, but I thought I'd start at the beginning with this photo of my mom very pregnant with me:
She's posed in the living room of the house I grew up in. I love the smile. It's so real. It's bordering on laughing. And yet, my dad on the other side of the camera, and my mom both know what's coming because I was their third kid. It feels like proof that I was wanted and loved before I even got out. That's certainly not where my whole history beings, but it is a good starting point.
But I still love photos, especially family photos. I think this is because my family doesn't talk a lot. And gowing up we didn't have pictures all over the place. We sometimes had slide shows which were lots of fun. I need to try to get my dad to give a slide show the next time I'm at home. I rummage for photos at my parent's house. Photos I have never seen before that tell me a little about my parents. Like my dad sticking his tongue out at my mom on their honeymoon. It just conveys so much about him that I never knew, or lost sight of when I went through horrible teen years. My dad takes his photos pretty seriously too. He's a quiet kind of guy and isn't sloppy with "I love you" and hugs. But when each of his kids turned 21 he put together an entire photo album of family photos--ones I had never seen before unearthed from old slides. He wanted us to see all the joy we had brought into his and my mom's lives. So I have plenty of good fodder for these projects.
This month theme for self portrait Tuesday is Personal History. I'm late in joining this month, but I thought I'd start at the beginning with this photo of my mom very pregnant with me:
She's posed in the living room of the house I grew up in. I love the smile. It's so real. It's bordering on laughing. And yet, my dad on the other side of the camera, and my mom both know what's coming because I was their third kid. It feels like proof that I was wanted and loved before I even got out. That's certainly not where my whole history beings, but it is a good starting point.
posted by Rebecca at 6:26 PM
1 Comments:
What a great pic!
Oh, love the bags on the previous post too.
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