6.26.2008

Good Days

Hanging Around
June 2008

My iTunes: I'm In Love With A Girl by Gavin DeGraw

That's my girl.

With a teen you have your good days and your not so good days. Today was a good one. No particular reason or event....it included nice words and laughter, sprinkled with patience and self control. It was lovely. I snapped this as she played with our labradoodle Riley, tonight in the backyard. She is always asking me why I love these types of shots so much where you can't see faces. I am not sure exactly what it is that draws me into this...but I shot it everytime I am shooting people.

How about you? Do you all like this type of shot as well? Why?

19 comments:

Mark said...

I like it for the same reason as you. It draws me in and makes me wonder what the subject is looking at/thinking/humming/singing. Faces can be great, but sometimes when there's not much expression, a shot like this adds mystery.

Anna said...

OK, so I am NOT crazy...

;) Thanks Mark!

Unknown said...

I second what Mark said -- and speaking from an art historical perspective, when you don't see someone's face, it makes it easier to subconsciously identify with the subject and place yourself in their place. Hence you are "drawn into the photo."

And you actually ARE observant (haha, as if all these pictures didn't testify to that fact already!) -- I just changed the header this afternoon :) I still feel like an amateur, but several people had commented on that same thing as well :)

Anonymous said...

certainly an interesting shot!

Robert said...

I almost wish I hadn't read your words first just so I could see if my thoughts would be the same as they are now. But since I can't do that, your words only add to the image. You know how I love the story behind a picture rather than trying to come up with some meaning of my own. There's a time and a place for that. But this is in fact a family picture. And with every family comes a story. I can "see" on her face how good today was. I can "see" the laughter and the loveliness.

lynn said...

I like this type of photo too. I think it's more relaxed and natural looking rather than the "posed" shots. My kids naturally always want to look toward the camera when I am shooting them and I always tell them not to!

kenju said...

Since I already know what she looks like - it's fine with me....
LOL

kenju said...

Anna, I am going to send an email to my girl right now. I want her to find that shop and take a photo of it!!!

timtim said...

Shots as these are great. No need to always see the face.

Alice said...

My first thought was that it is such a peaceful picture. The good days with teenagers are very special days!

Raven said...

Hi... I agree that the shot draws you in and makes me feel like I'm there with you. Just wanted to stop by and let you know that I have left something for you at Raven's Nest.

Nestor Family said...

The type of shots I like are the ones from behind... so you can see what the subject sees, I suppose... and, like mark said, you wonder what they are thinking.

Oftentimes, too, I think we forget how much of life is spent not looking directly at someone's face... and then these are the perspectives we really have.

Nice photo, Anna.

Dianne said...

I enjoy the element of mystery too. Body language says so much but often gets ignored when we search a face for clues.

Emily Dorchak said...

humm, i like those shots too.
i think its becuase of the fact that u dont know what the peopel are thinking you can see so much of what a person feels by their face, and when u cant see it, you have to rely on their body language to tell what thye are thinking and feeling. i lvoe those shots. nice nice pic. maybe soemday ill meet u and ur daughter. =3 yay.

Anonymous said...

To build on Emmy's comment -- faces aren't the only way people express emotion. I tend to rely heavily on body language in my teaching. Students often won't look at me, or raise their hand to ask a question. I often have to figure out that they are struggling with very little help from them.

This photo of your daughter tells me she is feeling open, content and in a carefree mood. I can identify with those feelings and would like to join in her play.

Anonymous said...

Oh! Also, with the lack of "face" we don't assign cosmetic character traits. So many media photos have us examining "face" as a measure of value or worth, when in truth looks should be the last thing we worry about because they are subject to change (aging, accident, etc.)

Anonymous said...

Well, for me, this is another lesson. I always have very contrived shots of my children, "Smile for the camera!" shots. This is a good example of not needing to do that.

So...when I get my right hand back (lol, my camera...) from the shop, I'll give this a whirl.

photowannabe said...

I like them too. I think it adds a bit of mystery and imagination.

Gretchen said...

Yeah, I tend to take at least one of those of everyone when I'm taking photos. I took one of Vanessa Atler (An elite gymnast) at US Nationals where she had her hands in front of her face and you can only see one eye. At first, I hated it, the more I looked at it, the more I loved it.