Before I start, I want to thank everyone who posted recently! I appreciate all your comments and Annabelle my thoughts are with you.
Being in LA, how did you find this blog? I thought the lady who came over to your car must have made your day. Please keep me posted on how you are.
It's been such an amazing feeling to know the people who read this are from so many places. So, I have always been a big fan of great movies and photography. I can be in a book store or art museum and look at photography all day.
I am reading a great book by Annie Leibovitz and she provides a photo that gives you all the behind the scene details about the photo, the set, etc. It's quite cool, really. At the same time I'm reading this, I realized that I have seen some great movies lately.
Between the two interests that I've had forever, I have developed a creativity and interest in the stories that come from both. A picture can tell so many things as well as movies and I love the imagination of it all.
However, in reading about all the details and behind the scenes issues it has really made me reflect on a few things. The topic is discussed about how to make a subject look good or how to bring it to life.
I was interested in this part particularly because a few of the movies I have seen lately had a character missing a limb; one of which was Tropic Thunder. I don't recommend this movie for everyone. A lot of scenes have some pretty crude humor and violence (too much for my taste), but overall it was a decent film. The people I was with (hubby & family) were so sweet but looked at me each time as if to say "does this bother you, are you okay?"
When we think about photos in magazines or the movies, we rarely see anything less than flawless. I tend to appreciate the rawness of the moment versus staged and perfection which I think is what made me think of this post.
To answer the above question: no, it didn't bother me and I was okay, but they have developed a soft spot and it's super-special. It did, however, make me realize that with all the issues we deal with daily, physical issues seem to be the most difficult to photograph and resolve.
I did a search to find movies with physical challenges and the category is very small, comparatively speaking. Now think of the photography aspect -- not many come to mind unless your looking at para-Olympics or something similar or a specific area of interest, not just everyday photo shots.
So, this got me on a two hour Internet search (how does that always happen. I start out for 5 minutes, then, whew, its 2 hours!) which eventually lead me to an article on beauty that was so beautiful.
Is it easier to see a picture of a beautiful person with a great smile who seems great on the outside but has the worst issues that we can't see. Or, see a photo of someone who has a physical disability or a smile that is not so perfect but has no other issues?
Neither is right, wrong nor good or bad. But, we are all behind the lense of our own eyes and perception. This is so cliché, but if beauty truly came from within, I think we would see much more of the not-so-perfect world.
I received a very cool gadget from Nick that allows me to hold a camera and take pictures. Who knows, perhaps we will get to see more definitions of beauty. I'm much better with a great photography book than the actual camera, but it sure is fun. Find the not-so-perfect in everyday life and try to interpret it with beauty and not pity.
Love,
Jen
What a day for us all! Regardless of your political views, today seemed to have a quality that should be with us everyday.
