In a world before “blur” and “bokeh” and wide aperture were “the thing,” photographers took much more care to be thoughtful about the background of a portrait. After all, it can be a powerful tool in telling the rest of the story. The setting of the individual, the things he or she keeps around them, how they decorate their abode, or where they or the photographer chose to portray them can be just as informative as the expression of the individual. This is something I’m working on, and the concept was really hammered home to me while reading two books this past week, Our Mothers: Portraits by 72 Women Photographers edited by Viviane Esders, and The Life of a Photograph by Sam Abell.
My own mother passed away when I was a young girl, and I didn’t realize it when I picked up Our Mothers, but it may be what drew me in to it. Old photographs of her are what tell me more about the life she lived, since she cannot. I’m beginning to understand this is part of why I love photography, and it explains much of the importance I place on documenting life and having prints. Our Mothers has one portrait of each photographer’s mother, paired with her words to or about her mother. It gives you so much to think about, from your own family dynamic, your relationship with your mother or parents, and your own mortality, to the histories and cultures shown in the book. Its a feast for the eye and mind. It is full of great examples of how to do a portrait right, and how much more a portrait contains if one really takes the time to explore it. Fascinating and engrossing, I read it through in two short sittings. You may want to have some tissues handy.
I wanted to see if I could find these things represented by our own Everyday Beauty Mortal Muses pool, and it wasn’t too hard at all! You are all so talented.
A Mother’s Work by sassylittlelulu
In Abell’s book, so many of his shots are wonderfully explained in his own words, which are just as good as the photographs and add even more intrigue to the shots. I’m haunted by page 69. It shows, left to right, a little girl playing on a bed in the background, and then on the right, and older man, rugged and dirtied by the job of running a cattle station, as he smokes his pipe, and looks down in serious thought about the stresses of his days. As Abell tells it, the shoot that day was just supposed to be of the man, facing the horrors of an unstoppable bush fire. But right when Abell was about to take the shot, the granddaughter came in and began to play, and thus the photography became this juxtaposition of the blissful ignorance of youth, and the weathered and beaten realities of all that we see by the time we hit our later years in life. Had Abell been set up at f1.4, he may not have created the same impact from this serendipitous shot. I love what that says about photography being able to capture a moment in time that speaks for way more than that moment. I also appreciate what it says about sometimes just waiting for the right moment to take a shot. The virtue of patience in photography is so important, and Abell shares several of those times when he waited, and his patience was rewarded with an outstanding photograph.
And once again, how well you all get this.
joy in the midst of chaos by close to home
And that is just a short teaser, really. There is so much more to both of these books, and I encourage you to sit down with some time and some tea and really sink your teeth in to them. I found both at my tiny local library, and I notice that Our Mothers is very affordable on Amazon. Both have inspired me to the point of restlessness this week.
Happy Reading!
I love how you combined your book recommendations with perfect photo pairings from the pool. And being “inspired to the point of restlessness” is such an eloquent description of how I often feel about books with deep meaning for me. Great post, Cara.
You had me at “the world before blur and bokeh.” Lots of food for thought here. Thank you.
so moving and i want to share a couple of shots with you (I’ll send you a link). you have touched on such an important point about being thoughtful about the background and being patient for the shot. i think that is why i am shooting film more and more. i am forced to slow down and be a little more patient. and i find my patience has grown as i continue on my journey. well done Cara!!! xxxooo
Really thought-provoking post, Cara. Thanks for sharing such great books and photos from our pool.
Film has taken me off my 2.0f. I seem to want to see more. Maybe it is part of the photographer’s journey. I will check these books out. Thank you for the great post.
i really think it seems to be part of the journey and growth and moving out of your comfort zone to become a better or at least more versatile photographer.
I just LOVE this. Our environments tell a story, everyone has a story to tell. this is just really wonderful what you have shared here.
I love these recommendations, Cara. And I adore the way you incorporated pairings from the pool too; I just keep coming back to look at the pictures again and again. More please!
these books look great cara. thank you for sharing those little pieces of yourself in the post, it was very touching.
Wonderful post and images and very insightful to someone who up to now would die if her aperture were not set to its widest. Thank you for the book recommendations.
both of these books sound wonderful!
Great article! As young photographer “Understanding Exposure” by Bryan Peterson has inspired me the most. There are plenty of photography book list I’ve found on Pixpa’s blog that worth of checking out.