The Book About Summer
I am working on a collection of summer images for a photo book I am tentatively calling A Virginia Summer. I’ve been building the book all summer long, using the MILK photo books editor, swapping pictures in and out, trying to see how the images relate to one another and how the story might unfold. Edit ruthlessly. Change up photo sequences. Look for connections. Leave room for the unexpected. This is work that does not feel like work.
You can find the book-in-progress over on my PROJECT page under the heading, A Virginia Summer. I still have some editing to do. Maybe some writing. I’d love to add some little element of surprise. I’m considering leaving a blank page for a tipped-in image (Yes, this is another book vocabulary word. A Tip In is a printed sheet inserted into a book by gluing or stapling it to the back edge of an existing page.) I’m hoping MILK will have a Black Friday sale and I can print my book at a discount. (Really, the quality of these books is phenomenal!)
I’m deep in a book, My Friends by Fredrik Backman. My friend Cathy said she loves this book, and since I love her style, I figured I might love the book, too. (Her blog, Knee Deep in Weeds, is one of my all-time favorites. She shares her life authentically, with gorgeous photography, and never tries to “influence me” beyond a gentle book share.) I won’t spoil the story, but so far, it’s about the friendship between three teenagers and a painting, The One of the Sea. This photo, taken at Westmoreland State Park, reminds me of the painting in the story. Where families are formed by the friendships we forge.
I’m keeping a list of my favorite lines from the book. Here are a few:
He was good at seeing the beauty in everything. That happens if you’re no good at seeing it in yourself.
With kind eyes and a tender smile.
Art is empathy.
There are beautiful things that are free.
Someone else needs to think something first so they’re allowed to know what they love.
His heart reached out to them like a plant reaching for the sun.