{18 mm, f 3.5, 1/400 s, ISO 1600)I know this isn't the most awesome photo, but I like it for some reason. The darkening around the edges is not post processed- it is exactly as it was when I shot it, which I like. The only post processing I did is in photo shop, opened a curves layer and raised the RGB up a little from the center, which lightened the photo because it was a little dark. You can do that in LightRoom and photoshop elements as far as I know, so give it a try! :)
So the story behind this photo. I come from a LONG line of junk collectors. Both of my great grandmothers passed away and the cleaning process following both their passing was unbelievable. Junk, junk, junk. Some of it had absolutely no meaning, but it was mixed in with the significant things. Looking back, I think I made a realization at that time that I want my home to be filled with "meaningful" rather than "what was she thinking"!
My grandmother is no exception-- this photo is a shot of her kitchen wall. The tip of the iceberg, if you will. The one bare spot in her whole kitchen is shown in the photo. A lifetime of acquiring has created a home stuffed to the gills with meaningless crap.
My mom, gratefully, is not as bad as my grandmother, or great grandmothers, but she still has way too many things. She knows this, she'd like to purge and get rid of the "stuff"... but what if she'll need something she's gotten rid of later, down the line?! Well, at least my mom is an awesome decorator and has made it work in her home so it is actually a cozy fun place to be rather than a cluttered display of junk.
I thought of the word "tradition" when I took this photo because it seems it's almost a tradition in my family to collect junk and keep it even when you don't need it. The train stops here, folks. All my life I have been drawn to the kitschy, crazy knick-knacks and I've collected up the wazoo. I have little doo-dads from yardsaling with my Grandma when I was 5... I've made it a goal to purge NOW, get rid of the junk I do not need, and anything I buy or acquire in the future will undergo a strict do-I-need-this check list. So I don't plan to eliminate all that is not necessary- there is something to be said for a functionless thing here and there, sometimes those little knick-knacks DO have meaning to us, and the fun and funky vintage decor is just awesome but there is a point where it is TOO MUCH STUFF! :)
ps. sorry this is so long... i'm a rambler as i'm sure you'll see in future challenges...
CC
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10 comments:
My family are packrats, too. My mom saves empty boxes. Gift boxes, appliance boxes, cell phone boxes, you name it. We call ourselves "the family of empty containers."
For CC, I would suggest re-adjusting your angle. There's a big empty spot on the lower left. It looks like there is more stuff on the all still to the right, so maybe you could shift the focus of the picture to the right.
I agree--just a tiny bit upwards or to the right might fill that spot. Cool picture though...
I definitely could not live there though...clutter and me aren't friends...although I love the fun vintage history! :)What fun stories you will have to share!
Thanks for the CC janelle!
I was trying to show the only bit of clear space on her wall, but showing a full frame filled with junk probably would have been better! :)
Hey Carly great picture!! I love that you can see all of the clutter and then the open space that you talked about! Thanks also for the photoshop trick I'll be using it!
I always thought of my parent's Packrat habit as ANNOYING, but when my grandparents passed and we went through their things... well, it didn't feel much like junk for me (my parents totally griped about the junk though!) Cool stuff on your grandmother's wall-- my grandpa has the SAME EXACT "slice-of-log clock" on his wall too!!!!!!
It is an interesting photo. I like the white space that you refer to, but I think I would have like a wall of junk more. As for purging... good luck! When I went through my knick-knacks, trophies, etc. I took a photo of each and then got rid of it. If I want to go back and look, I have a photo and not a box of clutter!
I like princess jen's idea...one I should do, too. I really like the way it looks kind of eclectic. (sp?) Silly and nostalgic at the same time. Could you ever imagine your grandma's wall any other way? I like the space on the wall, once I understood why you used it.
It looks like a picture out of an old magazine. I really like it. It shouts "Grandma's house" and gives you a warm fuzzy feeling. Nice job.
I would like to see the picture a little more angled, so that you have a more interesting view of it.
I tried to edit my comment and ended up deleting it. Doh. So here it goes again... LOL!
I really like your take on this assignment- very out of the box.
For CC- You could have tried opening up your ap (if possible) and standing at an angle to the wall. That way it would have slowly gone out of focus- and maybe further emphasizing the idea of the endless amounts of "junk".
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