{photographs taken with Yashica T4 point-and-shoot camera and Kodak Portra 400 film}

I have observed, over several years, this VW beetle, overcome by weeds, vines, and shrubs. Once I even saw a snake in the front seat. I keep coming back because I wonder if the scene reflects indifference, neglect or simply a gradual decline into disorder.

We pull over at a small boat landing in Caroline county (because we almost never pass up an opportunity to sit by the water). It’s early spring, but still chilly. We walk the parking area and notice this trail of shotgun shells. Hunters have been here, I suppose.

{Taken with Pentax K-1000, Kodak Portra 400 film}

I am remembering what it is like to play. And allowing all of that joy in my life for the first time in what feels like forever.

Three things that are good for me right now:

  1. This podcast on Burnt Toast. Virginia Sole-Smith interviews Debra Benfield, RDN. "You Are Not Considered a Whole Person After a Certain Age."

  2. This 8-minute yoga sequence, Legs Up the Wall, with Brea from Heart + Bones Yoga.

  3. Mexican Chocolate Icebox Cookies and a great way to cook chicken. Three Things by Jenny Rosenstrach

One of the most effective ways that I learn to see differently is by studying the work of photographers whose work I admire. An accompanying benefit is that I continue to develop my own voice and style. The simple act of identifying art that I love, photographs that resonate with me, colors and styles that make me feel deeply…all these things contribute to my growth as an artist. I am always on the lookout for people and things that nourish me in this way.

This morning I spent some time with the photographs of Katherine Wolkoff, especially her body of work, Taken From a Cat. These types of pictures and this way of seeing are not part of my repertoire at this moment, but they are, for me, aspirational photographs. It’s easy enough to take a fine picture when the scene is set so that the subject is clearly defined, but what about when the subject is more subtle? What happens with the scene is not so carefully arranged? What about when focus stops being the focus? How do we convey themes and subjects in less concrete ways? These are the questions I am pondering.