by Judy
It was finally daylight and the Mother and child were still
moving. They had walked most of the
night, looking over their shoulders often.
They did not know who it was that was following them, but they knew they
needed to get away...
The young Mother sighed with relief when they finally
reached the magical forest. Even as her daughter still clung tightly to her,
she knew they would be OK. Here in the trees that towered over them, here
is where they were going to be able to stop. To breathe. To stay. This was the
magical place they had only heard about.
Here is where they would be safe.
I had only seconds to look at this scene, to take in what I
was seeing, to follow their steps with
my camera and to compose my shot. But in
those few seconds I knew I had to capture what I was feeling. The Mother carrying her child through the
snow - the trees that dwarfed them, the soft morning light. It just seemed magical to me. To me it looked like a fairy tale.
We've all heard that a picture is worth a thousand words. We've all heard that a picture tells a
story. On this day, with this photo, I was keenly aware of the story that I wanted to tell, and of the feelings I wanted to convey when I pressed the shutter button.
The wonderful thing about photography is that different people will get different stories from the same photograph. Our view of the world, our attitudes, our personality, and our mood at the time are all likely to play a part in our interpretation. And that's OK. That is art.
Maybe I saw a fairy tale scene because I was in an especially happy, carefree mood that morning. Maybe this scene brought back memories of an illustration in a children's book read to me years ago. Maybe it was the lighting. Who knows exactly what made me feel the way I did about the scene unfolding in front of me?
I knew what I wanted to convey, and to me, this photo does that. But some of you, maybe all of you, looked at this photo and perceived it differently. What did you see? What did you feel? I'd love to hear your story of this photo! Remember - there are no wrong answers!
13 comments:
Ooohhh - so fun! I will play as soon as I get home from work tonight!
When I saw this beautiful snow picture, the thing that caught my eye was the child's red coat, then I saw those massive trees. Here's my story: Little one and his mother have enjoyed the beautiful morning in the woods. Little one ran around the trees throwing snowballs at mom. They even played a little hide and seek behind the massive trees. Playtime is over and now they're headed home. Little one's legs are so tired that mom reaches down scoops him up and carries him safely home.
Good morning Judy, what a lovely post, and the size of those trees...I don't think I've ever seen trees that big! I see a journey, traveling through a world in which we are dwarfed by all that is around us, a mom trying to stay on course, feeling tired but she keeps going anyway...keeping the hope that there is light at the end of the trail.
I see an active parent getting their child outside in nature rather than in front of some tech screen…plugged in. :) It's a sunny day and they are enjoying the beauty of nature. Judy, looks like you were enjoying the great outdoors, too! Love it!
What a wonderful shot! That pink coat just pops out of the relatively monotone photo and grabs your attention. And I'm with Kim, I think the only trees I've ever seen that were that big were the redwoods in California! I see a mother and child, enjoying the beauty of the scene around them, and the mother carrying her tired child, something to which I'm sure every mother can relate! This scene is so peaceful and lovely that it just brings peace to anyone looking at it. So glad you raised your camera to your eye and captured it for us to enjoy.
What a wonderful shot! That pink coat just pops out of the relatively monotone photo and grabs your attention. And I'm with Kim, I think the only trees I've ever seen that were that big were the redwoods in California! I see a mother and child, enjoying the beauty of the scene around them, and the mother carrying her tired child, something to which I'm sure every mother can relate! This scene is so peaceful and lovely that it just brings peace to anyone looking at it. So glad you raised your camera to your eye and captured it for us to enjoy.
"I dont know where your favorite Bunny is, my darling." " But mommy I had her yesterday, you know, when we went on the picnic in the park." *sigh* ahhh yes, yesterday, BEFORE the snow. "ok lets get bundled up and head off to see if we can find her." :) GREAT SHOT!
i love this judy. and isn't that the best thing about photography. how we can tell stories. and how everyone reads something a little differently. for me the massive trees and that magical light speak to a lovely winter adventure.
Those massive trees took me right back to my childhood when my grandparents lived in Upstate New York and we used to visit them. And I though, 'our forests in Kentucky aren't anything like that'. So this story took me back to a memory in my life, one long forgotten. And I just love story-telling photos. It's not always easy to do but you nailed this one. It's fabulous!
Such a beautiful story to go with that wonderful winter photo...
"New to Vermont, it was a short cut they never should have taken. It was to have been a ten minute walk on a warm day, but now, evening was closing in, Michael was tired of walking, and there was no sign of their newly rented farmhouse. "
My story grew out of a true one from our family. This happened to my aunt and her young son, shortly after they bought a farm house in Vermont. The happy ending? They did arrive at a road after three hours and got a ride home - where everyone was frantic!
I love reading all of your stories and memories that this photo conjured up!
Love this magical moment frozen in time! The enormous trees are standing strong with the ever changing seasons, while mother and child head out for an afternoon in the snow covered park. The little one is so anxious to feed the ducks in the distant, however, the thick snow was slowing her down. Squealing with excitement, the mother decides to pick her up and carry her to their destination.
Thanks for sharing a beautiful story, with an awesome photo!
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