Picture Frame

Tonight we watched a documentary about Annie Leibovitz, Life Through a Lens. Aside from the fact that she is an immensely gifted photographer and that the scope of her work is astounding, I will watch a documentary about just about anyone. I love the feeling of being immersed in someone else's life.

She and her family talked in the film about how much of their upbringing was in a car - they travelled constantly since her father was in the air force. One of the comments from her sister was about how it was easy for them to become artists (in their family) because so much of the world they saw was through a ready-made picture frame - the car window.

I like this idea, and how they have defined that piece of their family history - seeing the world through a car window - as being key in how they developed.

Recently I've been working with a friend on a small documentary project where we've been interviewing some ladies in their 80's and 90's about memories that they felt were important in their development into the people they are today. As inspiration, my friend found a photo from her own childhood that so obviously showcased where her love for dogs and her problem-solving skills came from.

I've been poring over my childhood photos to find one that defined my character in some way. Nothing yet, I'll have to dive deeper into the albums when I visit my folks this summer. All I could find was a posed image of me in a ballet costume wagging a reproving finger in a stuffed animal's face. Perhaps a sign of my latent control issues? But not a fair representation since it wasn't candid.

I'm not that interested in self-analysis, but I like history and getting a sense for why things are as they are. I definitely like taking a backseat, in my work anyway - I don't like to be front and center, I'm happy behind the camera or creating a story from still or moving images.

I started this post an hour ago specifically to display this photo of Sweetpea and my Englishman - captured in a frame by me (in the backseat), with the subject of their observation framed by a window.

It's all tied together somehow.