Summer Days
“Usually, the subject matter of the image is not the subject of the work.” —Roni Horn
Wakefield, Virgina | Kayaks on Van, August 2025
I am reading the book, Photographers On Photography: How The Masters See, Think & Shoot, by Henry Carroll. I bought the book used on ebay with proceeds going to charity, which is one of the best ways to build a personal photography library. I’ve been jotting down quotes that speak to me, marking pages for further reflection and re-reading, and showing the pictures to my husband (there is great variety in the book).
“When I am taking pictures, I just follow my instincts and see where they lead. I often don’t know where they are leading until I see them all together, working towards some common emotional world.” —From an interview with Olivia Bee
I got this line from the book, too. I am a photographer who records everyday moments. This comes in handy as I am often asked what kind of pictures I take. I have long struggled with how to describe the genre of images I make.
A little about his photograph. I took this only a few weeks ago, to finish up a roll of Kodak Portra 400 on my Pentax 645 camera. All summer long I’ve tried to take images that are quintessentially summer. But I have veered all over the place in trying to find my way. There are versions of summer to match each season of my life, but one thing they all have in common is color. The summer I am experiencing now, at age 65, is no longer marked by swimming pools or fireworks or picnics. I am not sad to let go of many of these places and events. Instead I focus on stepping away from my own biases about aging and embrace the understanding that growing old is a privilege. I do not need permission to, nor apology for, aging. I’m not sure if the summer images will form a cohesive body of work, but I do know that I’ve felt a deep sense of purpose in making them. Photography helps me to love more deeply. Isn’t that a beautiful thing?