Look of Love

I have been reading a great teacher resource book about reading photographs and using them to inspire and teach writing. I know I have some deeper writing coming from the reading, and I've even started applying the ideas to develop some activities for a writing retreat I'm planning for later this year. But the idea of reading photos got me thinking about how much we cherish photos, especially of our memorable experiences and our loved ones. "Photographs are taken to 'hold' an event, a moment, a person, or a place. They represent things that we value or that we want to ponder further." (Van Horn, 2008, p. 6). When we see these cherished people in photos, we are able to read love from their expressions, their gestures, their interaction with each other.

Take this one for instance. This is my sister and my son when he was just a baby. Look at the way she is looking at him, her first and only nephew. I can't even see her eyes, but the way she is looking down at him and her smile and apple-y cheeks. I know my sister almost as well as I know myself, and my love for and closeness with her has translated into a unique and beautiful relationship with my son. I read love on her face in this photo. I can't recall who my son is looking at, but I'm sure it is another family member whose face he is studying intently. He got no shortage of attention.

This photo is my mother with my son just a few years later. I think he was about 3. Look at her face and the way she is looking at him. My son is her first and only grandchild, and I know I am able to read in her face the love she feels for him, even as he makes a funny face at her. She makes funny faces back at him and has always loved to get silly with him. Look at the way he is completely leaning into her and is right up in her face. He's playing with her in a way that shows his love for and comfort with her.

Finally, I share one of my favorite photos of all time. It's easy to read your own face when you know your own feelings. Though sometimes when you look at old photos, you can be unsure of people in them or how you felt at the time. What I love about this photo, is it captures the love my son has for me. We were on vacation the summer before he started kindergarten, both sun-kissed and pink. My husband snapped this shot while we were out to dinner at a beachside restaurant. Look at the way his arms practically choke me in an embrace, the way he closes his eyes blissfully and smushes his cheek against mine. This is the way I always want my son to feel about me, and I believe, is a reflection of the love I have for him. I will cherish photos like these forever, especially as he heads off to college!

I am really only just beginning to explore the use of my photos as catalysts for writing, and as part of my writing, instead of just illustrating what I have written. I know there will be much more in the coming months. I can't wait to get digging through all my photo boxes. 

What's your favorite "look of love" photo?

-much love