Poetry Friday: A Photography Poem

Happy Poetry Friday everyone!
Little bit of poetic reflection today on another art form I enjoy, photography. I have had conversations a couple of times now with photography romantics (amongst whom I hope I can count myself a member) about how sad it is that today photography is more about digital manipulation than it is actually capturing the moment. While I see the point and don't myself relish the idea of living in a world of altered reality, I myself do play digitally with photos (primarily through Picasa, a great free-Photoshop alternative) and I see two great variations on the theme of manipulation of which I am a big fan...even though I am a romantic who loves reality.

1: The fact that photography has become a manipulatable art doesn't mean it is void...its just able to be a medium that is a little more like painting and sculpting now! I think that's inspiring and fun. We are able to create scenes of great photographic beauty even if we only imagined them.

2: Sometimes, let's face it...reality doesn't quite get captured with your camera. How many times have you excitedly downloaded your photos and then begun clicking through in disappointment, discovering that you didn't catch the thing or feeling you experienced after all?  So sad! But, so redeemable sometimes...thanks to photo manipulation tools. Hooray!

So, I wrote a poem about it.

Saturation

I can slide the bar sideways in Photoshop
And drain off all weak, extraneous white 
My chosen photo throwing back its shoulders 
Standing taller every second, clearing its
Throat and flashing a bolder grin at me
I like some scenes brightly re-incarnated
Better representations of my memory than the
Photograph that ended up inside our camera
Some accidental, watered-down take-away.
Sometimes our Canon doesn't think it important
To catch the hot fuscia vitality of diced rhubarb
Or, mistakenly remembers the fluttering curtains
My sister pieced from jewel-toned calico as some
Faded, older pastel version of themselves,
All frail: sun-used before their time.

Hope you have a beautiful day! The week is over and the sun is shining and the world feels full of promise. We're off to enjoy the warmth and sunshine here in our yard, here's to a wonderful weekend!

If you want to get a taste of other bloggers offerings for Poetry Friday, go check out our host blog for today a wrung sponge.

Storybook Series

Just sifting photos today and noticed this wonderful set of shots that Ru took of his little brother reading his favorite book of the moment. I love that his big brother thought this was a good subject, I love that he's so absorbed that he's reading standing up, I love that we see him through the handle of the broom and framed by the cupboard he's standing next to, I love the way the book moved up and down in the shots, I love that you can see me making dinner on the counter behind him and I love the myriad little expressions he makes under the story's spell.

Love the way he's absorbed in the back cover page here and letting the story bits fall open also digging the inquisitive angle of his head.

Something serious here...

Love the furrowed brow sticking out over the book

Focus on the book now....his little head is blurry background...cute, cute.

Cute little jolly emotion here

Get a load of that cute little bit of hair sticking up...and those tiny fingers curled around the cover

Having children is such a wonderful business. Its super fun to watch them "become." I love watching to see what shapes they unfurl into. Its like those little gel cap, sponge animals we played with as kids (did you play with those?) that melt away on contact with hot water and slowly uncurl and then Tada!!! You can see that your red capsule was a hippo! So cool! I feel like I did when I was five with my chin up over the edge of my grandma's bathroom sink, watching to see what the capsules I've been given become. You know all the shapes are good....but golly...who knows what they'll be! The fun is in the revealing. I love watching Ru learn to love photography and seeing through his eye when I upload his pictures, I love seeing Dee pick favorite stories and watching what special bits he loves and why. Its just really darn cool watching my boys be them! I can't wait to see what Nib becomes. Maybe he'll be a little red hippo! You never know! Mommyhood is cool like that.

Maternity Self-Portraits

No words today really but, its a good day and I'm feeling optimistic. The world is a beautiful place and I'm glad to be here.

Sharing my self-portrait session that I worked on yesterday. I always try to do one good set of photos of me pregnant for each baby...that way there are a few photos for baby books, I have shots of me that make me feel pretty to look at as the pregnancy finishes up and I have a way to remember a nice snippet of that child's creation.

Hope you enjoy a peek into amateur bedroom studio.

30 weeks and counting!