mirrors / windows: volume 2, issue 11

MIRRORS / WINDOWS

volume 2, issue 11

Hi friends,

Well here we are, y’all; it’s my favorite month of the year and I’m pretty darn happy about it. November always feels for me restful and reflective; it’s the downtime before the insanity of the holiday season takes over, and the weather is perfect for spending as many minutes outside as the days will allow. It also happens to be my birthday month, which I really couldn’t care less about except that it makes for a fantastic excuse to connect with the people who make life a bit nicer.

October didn’t really seem all that busy while I was in it, but when I look back at the images I made I’m a little overwhelmed by how many there are. There was a lot to share this month, so I’m just going to hit the highlights here so you can get to the good stuff down below.

First, film. I shot and developed eight rolls of color film this past month. I don’t know if that sounds like a lot to any of you, but to me it feels like a major accomplishment. This was only my second time developing color film, and I couldn’t be happier with how the images turned out. I’m sitting on most of them for now, mulling over exactly what I want to do with them. But I did post a teeny tiny preview over on my website, which brings me to…

Second, my website. I gave a much needed refresh to a couple of the pages, and entirely repurposed one into a space for sharing recent film work. The feedback I got from you all on the film images in last month’s letter was so incredibly kind and encouraging; it gave me the nerve I needed to give them a more permanent home.

That’s it, for up here anyway. There’s lots to explore below. I hope you all are doing well, and as always thanks to each of you for being here. You know how much I love to hear from you, so write me back!

SOMETHING DIFFERENT

It’s 3am. Again. Like it always seems to be. As I search for the lamp in the dark, for whatever reason my mind drifts to the honest portrait of motherhood I made a few months ago, to the desire to make images that tell some sort of truth, to the thought of trying to capture these nights, this piece of myself, and then to, “why not?” After a little trial and error I landed on this single 30 second exposure. It’s different from my usual work, but it felt like something worth making.

RECENT POSTS

FOUND THINGS

I’ve come to realize that when I take my camera out with the intention to make a particular photograph, it’s almost never that image that ends up being my favorite. Not that those intentionally made photos aren’t fine, or pleasing, or in some cases even really, really good. It’s just that usually they aren’t imbued with quite as much meaning.

Instead it’s the photos that are made spontaneously that I end up being so fond of; the images of moments that tell the story, of things found along the way.

“All around me, the forest was alive, growing and shifting, and drawing up water from the soil, and putting on new growth, and letting go of its dead. It was so loud, so absolute. If I were ever to believe in a god, I would have found it right there. It was exquisite.

…This was the moment I realised that it was necessary to get myself back again. This was the moment I realised that, as the mother of a young child, the world was never going to give me permission to be on my own, but that I needed it anyway.”

- Katherine May

PRAYER

At times I am certain I have forgotten how to pray

Lips part, the breath moves in and out

But I cannot find the words

I go into the woods alone

And I am reminded that it doesn’t matter

To be here, alive, is prayer in itself

PATTERN, TEXTURE, LINES & LIGHT

As I walked the shore at sunrise I was struck by the work of the tide; painting its canvas each night, revealing new compositions and patterns each morning. The sun’s first rays danced across the landscape illuminating even the most subtle textures. And I watched as people would walk across, never seeming to notice what was before them.

AUTUMN IN THE MOUNTAINS

After a week away at the beach I came home to find that autumn had made her entrance during my absence. I thought it called for a quick day trip up to some of my favorite mountains, with the Mamiya and a few rolls of Portra in tow.

To see the full post with photos click each link above, or jump to my blog’s home page to see them all together.

FORGOTTEN PLACES

While driving back to Athens from a hike one Friday afternoon I spied what I thought to be a quaint little small town main street; It looked adorable, if much less crowded than I would have imagined considering it was just barely removed from a fairly busy intersection. I decided I’d take advantage of my early morning waking and go at sunrise the next day to walk around and explore.

What I found when I arrived was perhaps the most bizarre and intriguing place I have ever been. The entire block was decked out for a Fourth of July celebration, but clearly not one that had taken place in the last several years. There were banners and window displays, flags and (mostly dead) flowers. But not a single shop or business existed. One of the buildings had a charming facade with ironwork on the doors and windows, but the entire inside of the building was non-existent, much to the delight of the squirrels nesting just inside the would-be foyer. A large section of another building had been completely boarded up, a spray painted mural of doors and windows on the boards, and an enormous Christmas banner proclaiming “Happy ‘Holly’ Daze” hanging beside.

I spent some time photographing there that morning, but found the quirkiness (and if I’m honest, the chaos) of it nearly impossible to fully capture. I suspect I will find my way back a time or two to try again.

JUST FOR FUN

AT THE MOMENT

LISTENING TO

A few Novembers ago I discovered Leif Vollebekk, and promptly proceeded to wear out every album he had ever released. I was (and still am) particularly partial to Twin Solitude. It was often the soundtrack for my late autumn drives to Shenandoah, as well as an impromptu adventure with my boys when I pulled them out of school to spend an almost-winter day in the woods. His music always takes me back to the mountains, the sky the perfect shade of gray, the trees in varying states of undress.

READING IN

A couple of months ago I wrote about how I had just come to accept certain things, one of them being that I am not a fast reader. And generally, this is true. But last Monday I checked out Katherine May’s The Electricity of Every Living Thing, and finished it seven days later. It turned out to be absolutely nothing like I expected, and instead was so, so much better.

I also found the mysterious motivation to pick up Kerouac’s Big Sur again. This is my third go at reading it, having always put it down in the middle before. But I’m a big believer that things come to you (or perhaps you come to things) when the time is right, and I have a feeling that this time will be different.

THINKING ABOUT

If you’ve known me for longer than about five minutes then you know how much I adore the word “y’all.” Just see the beginning of nearly every newsletter I’ve ever sent. I have to actually put effort into changing it up occasionally, just so it doesn’t get too stale. But like the author of this article, I didn’t always embrace it. It’s no secret that I struggle with loving this place I call home, with its complicated history and maybe even more complicated present. But I also believe in lifting up the things here in the South worth celebrating, and there are plenty of them; the inclusivity of “y’all” might just be at the top of the list.

CRUSHING ON

I often find myself feeling like Instagram is good for very little, outside perhaps of amplifying my own insecurities. But every now and again I actually find that I’m still really glad I’m there. Such is the case in finding photographer Giorgio Montanaro. He recently released a zine of double exposure film images, which I decided on a whim to purchase. It may be the best purchase I’ve made this year. I’ve always been enamored with double exposures, and zines to tell you the truth, and have been wanting to try my hand at both. I think in Gio’s work I may have found the inspiration I need to actually do it.

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