Comments

Old school — 30 Comments

  1. I love these photos and the story they tell — and the questions you ask.

    After writing a blog for over 8 years every morning, I have learned to simply trust in the process. Even on those mornings when I sit down to write and haven’t a clue what I’m going to write, if I trust in the process, the flow happens.

    I like your vintage look you created.

  2. Oh Mary, this is a GREAT post and discussion. Out of necessity, out of frustration comes newness. Where do I begin here…..

    Well, first of all, this blogger you follow has it right. Even in poetry writing, we are encouraged to write freely, even write down your dreams. It is in strict and rigid beginnings that awful poetry is stilted and put on paper. It is in freedom and liberty of mind and soul where potentially great poetry begins. I love the quote: “Begin with your head and end with your head.” I also love the idea of writing (and taking photos) from different perspectives and angles, as you have done here. Then and only then can we see things we’ve missed, see things in different shapes. It is in this realm that we start to find another voice.

    Wise advice from this blogger. I can see you are on your way. Me too. Anita

    • This is so interesting to me, this parallel in writing, photographing, art in general. I have always liked to write, I wrote bad poetry as a teenager. LOL But all art is only going to be really good if we get our head out of the way. That for me can be hard sometimes.

  3. OOPS! I meant, “Begin with your HEART and end with your head!” Anita

  4. That was such a wonderful post, I pondered what those kids from the 50’s could do today, who wrote their names on the wall. Many thanks for great photos what are always a good reason to ponder about or to imagine stories.

  5. Okay Mary, now you’ve done it. You’ve “tickled the little grey cells” as Hercule Poirot would say. Your assignment now is to track down Johnny D. from ’58 and get his portrait leaning against the wall next to his brick. We all look forward to your next post. No pressure

  6. I love that you got outside of your comfort zone and took these photos, they definitely prove that you have a good eye. We try to see beauty in everything, it doesn’t only exist in the desert! Love Dolly

    • I’m so use to see the beauty in nature. Buildings are Ok, but you do have to find the story, or different angle to make it work.

  7. Very interesting photos, Mary, I love the stories they can conjure. I do think that sometimes we get stuck in a pattern of creativity, and it’s fun to break out of it and discover new possibilities and new worlds. I’m in Otto’s school of thought – as a writer, I can hit a brick wall occasionally too, and the best thing for me to do is to just write, even if it’s garbage. Rambling thoughts, picture prompts, whatever. Among the garbage eventually pops a gem, and sometimes it’s a pretty exciting gem – it happens the same way with photography as with writing. I love that process of discovery.

    • Doing a little of both, writing and photography. I am seeing more and more the parallel between them. I always start off with photos and weave my story around that. Maybe a true challenge for me would be to reverse that process. Hmmmmmmm

  8. That’s was very interesting Mary. It made me want to see more of that old school. Please get inside of the school if you can. Sometimes things are right in front of us and we don’t see them. I love vintage. I’m vintage.

  9. You have a natural eye for photography. It doesn’t have to be pretty scenery to make it work!

    As you can tell by my very diminished blog posts, I am lacking inspiration quite a bit! I could almost let it go….

  10. We have our set ideas, but we also like to go out and do new stuff. You never know how things will turn out.

  11. I love the vintage look! Great captures of the old school building. I like the first image especially! :)

  12. I love this look! Very fitting for the photos. If I feel stuck, I do as he does: just take my camera and start shooting, anything and everything. Always works!

  13. Good job! I’m going to check out that blog because it sounds like the author gives great advice. Right on a walk you regularly take, you found some beauty and inspiration that you hadn’t seen before. That’s cool!

    It’s odd for me. On the day after a migraine, I absolutely find no inspiration in anything to photograph. It’s like that part of my brain has shut down. Perhaps I should take the same advice that you did!

    • You do need to check out his blog. Always great posts, and great insight. Being in a place that sucks for me, it’s hard to find something great to shoot. If I can get out of my own head and find stuff, then it will all work out. I bet a migraine throws you through a loop. Maybe just shooting something, anything, could be a kind of therapy for you.

  14. I like what you did here and the different angles you shot the building with . Just changing the angle on a subject can say so much.

    I need to find my writing inspiration again. It’s been so long, do you have any suggestions?

  15. I like the old school photos! I find buildings like this fascinating but don’t understand how to photograph the uniqueness and beauty. You did a super job capturing the lovely features of the old school. I love the names in the bricks:)

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