From the Design Desk: Moving and Inspiring Photo Projects
2.1.10 | Suzanne LaGasa | Art and Design, Design Desk
In Conan O’Brien’s farewell speech from the Tonight Show, he urged his fans not to be cynical. “Nobody in life gets exactly what they thought they were going to get. But if you work really hard, and are kind, amazing things will happen.”
When Phillip Toledano‘s mother unexpectedly passed away, he found himself having to care for his father, and discovered that he had no short-term memory. Toledano documented this experience in a photo journal titled Days with My Father. These intimate images are filled with quiet discoveries and reveal the tenderness he feels for his father. The project is a testament to the power of perseverance and kindness.
Photo essays allow the photographer to explore and make discoveries, be it of a concept, an experience, or a visual fascination. The photo essay 100 Abandoned Houses by Kevin Bauman shows a collection of Detroit houses essentially being taken over by nature. He started photographing them in the mid 1990s. Each photograph is striking, but the project definitely gains strength in numbers. Bauman started photographing these houses as a creative outlet. He was earnestly curious about the downfall of a once wealthy community.
The photo blog project 3191 Miles Apart between two friends, Stephanie Congdon Barnes in Portland, Oregon, and MAV in Portland, Maine, started as a way for the two friends to share their thoughts and images about “simple living” and their current inspirations. The photographs they took in the process resulted in two sweet and touching books: A Year of Mornings, and 3191: Evenings. These two friends found a positive way to embrace their distance, using their creativity to share beautiful everyday sights and ideas.
The talented photographer Jenifer Altman‘s blog project, Nectar & Light, is another sweet exploration of everyday life, this time through Polaroid film. Each of her images tells a story and explores a different mood, a different state of being. Altman used her Polaroid expertise to curate Polaroid Notes, a collection of 20 different notecards. As we wrote in this post, there are some good endeavors rescuing this lovely medium.
Perhaps this interpretation of Conan’s message is a stretch, but there’s something incredibly touching in these sincere and humble photo projects. They come from a kind place, a genuine desire to seek out understanding, beauty, and goodness in one way or another. A great thing about photography is that the result of this hard work, this kindness in seeing and sharing, is that we get to enjoy it too. And we are reminded of the amazing in everyday things.
Suzanne LaGasa
Designer
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Gorgeous photos and stories to go with it. Nice post!
I love Altman’s photography! The funny thing about technology is that as the possibilities of sharper, brighter, faster arise, so do people who want to return to soft, vague, and slow. I love it.
I agree, inspiring photos and a wonderful post. There is too much cynicism today, more kindness not more negativity.
thank you so much for including me in this lovely post!
After writing this post I found out that we’ll be releasing the book of Days with My Father by Phillip Toledano. So cool! I had no idea.
http://bit.ly/dCfXEJ
I think it is about time I start my own photo essay of sorts. Hmmm, maybe 365 photos, one per day of the garden…watch it grow. Great post and thanks for sharing.
Lovely! Thank you–starts the creative juices flowing.
Fabulous post! Thank you for the round-up. All these projects sound tantalizing. I’d heard of a few but not all. I enjoy the inspiration to see the beauty in the everyday.