Here and Next: July 2016

Found: a baby shoe.

Oddly, this baby shoe, in its placement on the curb, looks more like a collectable on display rather than something you'd expect to be strewn about from having been dropped, kicked, or playfully tossed. It's not so hard to imagine that somewhere there's an infant, partially barefoot, with a child-minder unaware that something's gone missing.

Everyday things are lost... and sometimes found.

When I found this soft, ordinary, baby shoe in an ordinary suburban neighborhood, while on my daily walk, I knew it wouldn't make an extraordinary photograph, but shot it anyway thinking it might make a unique story.

Once home, I emailed my cousin, Carl, and told him of my day... about our hot and humid weather (nothing new), my walk, and the object I found.

Moments later he replied with just a picture: a boot in the sand.

Photo Credit: Carl Richards

I think we were communicating, sort of, though I'll never know if this was a photo of his boot or someone else's, if it was placed there or accidentally left behind, or even when it was documented, recently or years ago?

I write volumes; Carl sends photographs.

Occasionally with his images, he'll include a few words, if I'm lucky a whole sentence.

Carl is my first cousin... my father's sister's son, and my favorite living relative. We were both born in New York. He was raised in Manhattan Beach, Brooklyn and I grew up in East Meadow, Long Island. Now Carl lives on the West Coast, California and I live on the East Coast, Pennsylvania.

Carl is a morning person, up and out by 5 AM.

I rarely leave the house before 1 PM unless I have an appointment, then I'll get up early and complain the whole time.

Carl is a free spirit, rode a motorcycle for years, now owns a 535i BMW.

I don't drive and spontaneity for me is planning something a day in advance.

Carl hasn't eaten meat, fish or fowl for 45 years.
Me? I can't imagine how anyone can live on air and water alone.

Differences aside, together we share a love for each other and a passion for photography.

Nature is the predominant theme in Carl's photography: landscapes, seascapes and wild animals.

Here's a selection of work from his seascape collection.

Photo Credit: Carl Richards

My photography focuses on capturing light and shadows indoors, and when outdoors I shoot urban architecture, remnants of old buildings, facades, surface textures, and signs.

Here are a few of my architectural photographs, a series of windows.

Photo Credit: Dyan Titchnell

Thinking back to the shoe/boot exchange, I'm reminded of a wonderful photography blog, the original name, 3191: A Year of Mornings, later changed to 3191 Miles Apart, with the 3191 referring to the mileage between joint bloggers: Maria Alexandra Vettese (MAV) who lives on the East Coast, in Portland, Maine and Stephanie Congdon Barnes (SCB) who lives on the West Coast, in Portland, Oregon.

Their quirky concept of taking a daily morning snapshot of their lives for an entire year and posting the images online as a diptych started back in December of 2006 after seeing and admiring each other's photographs uploaded on Flickr, photos of a still life of their kitchen tables, which coincidently seemed quite similar.

Here are some of their collaborative images with MAV's photographs always shown on the left and SCB's photographs shown on the right.

Photo Credit: 3191milesapart.com

Speaking about miles apart... after my cousin read my final draft, he emailed and said:

"What? We've been communicating since we met, when you were born." Then he added, "The photo was taken very recently; the boot was washed ashore, and shot because I liked the image."

Now that's communication! A picture may be worth a thousand words, but sometimes you just want to hear the words or see them in print.

To view more photography by Carl Richards go to his website here.

You can read more about 3191 Miles Apart here and view their blog here.

Until next time

XOX... Dyan

Sunday, July 31, 2016

Walked & Found: Footwear & Photography