at work and at play

if you have been reading my blog for a while, you know i love to daily visit the photography blog called shutter sisters. when i go, i often find posts that invite me to share my own photos that remind me of or convey the subject of them.

often, the post calls to mind photos that i have already posted on my blog. so then i provide a link to my post in the comments of that s.s. post. but every once in a while the post will make me think of some photos that i have not yet posted, but may have wanted to. this always pleases me, because it makes me think i was meant to hold off on them until just the right time.

thus is the case today. the post over at shutter sisters today is about interconnection. when i read it, i immediately thought of the images of young people working together in a learning environment and kicking back together in a relaxed, leisurely environment. i took both of these shots while walking around chicago last month for my photowalk.

one of my favorite things to photograph is young people. about fourteen years ago, i was in vermont in a quiet little town more picture perfect than you can imagine. it was a crisp, fall-has-the-bluest-sky autumn day, and i was walking around to get pictures of the beautiful, old white church and vibrant fall colors in the trees against the sky.

i came upon about five or six young high school students {guys and girls} who were all sitting on the curb of a slow street in the historic downtown. they all looked very bohemian—in the way they dressed and wore their hair and in their laid back postures. a couple of them had guitars and they were all just sitting there, kicking back, enjoying each other's company. i had to stop and ask if i could take their picture. these were beautiful, beautiful people. they let me get in close enough to see their care-free smiles and expressions.

i wish i could show you the photo. it's one of my favorite photos that i have ever taken. but it was before digital cameras, so i don't have an electronic version of it that i can post. i'm sure they were all friends already, but they had to all connect at some point. and when i stopped and asked to photograph them, they were so friendly and open to it. they seemed like those kind of souls--souls that sought connections—even with a stranger who wanted to capture the moment they were making.

my second photo here reminds me of the same {even though i am not nearly as up-close and personal}. they are probably all friends. but i loved to see them gather in this central park near the lake in chicago. just because. and i love the first photo even more. i was once an art student, so seeing these students work together on a sunny day outside the art institute in chicago made me miss my college days and the connections and friendships i made while there. connections with people from all over the u.s. and even the world. connections i still have today {thanks to things like facebook}.

{on another note: i feel i may have been too premature in my excitement in yesterday's post. i do that sometimes. actually, i do it a lot. not that i am no longer excited. because i am. but i still don't know the outcome of what i am excited about, so i don't want to build it up too high, in case my hopes and expectations are not fulfilled. but i will definitely keep you posted when i hear more. thanks for all the comments. and to those of you who guessed that i won the lottery, i can only say this. i wish.

on yet another note: tonight is part one of my high school reunion. speaking of interconnection, it will be so fun to see people that i have not seen for twenty years. oh, shoot. i just gave away my age, didn't i? oh, well. i am looking so forward to tonight and tomorrow. i'll try to get lots of pictures and share them with you. have a wonderful, wonderful weekend!}

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oh, i forgot you can take a picture of a picture. {although this does not turn out too well.} so above is the photo i was talking about from vermont. okay, my memory is not so good. there was only one guy, only one guitar and a pair of drums that i forgot about. and only the girl in the front and the girl with the guitar looked bohemian. but they all had bohemian demeanors as they sat on the road and sang. i still love this picture. i wish it could look better on screen—like it does in person. {if you click on the image, you can see it a little better.}