Higher Resolution
Jan. 7th, 2007 06:04 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
dedalus_1947New Year Resolutions have become very predictable for me. There are only a few things that I really need to do to insure good health and spirit, I just don’t do them; ergo the need for new resolve every year. Another story about these same resolutions was pointless. All I had to do was refer to the story I filed on Jan. 5, 2006 (2006 Resolutions) to see what I promised to accomplish last year. Very good resolutions, but obviously, not accomplished.
So, it occurred to me to write about something I absolutely needed to achieve in 2007, instead of things that “I should do”. The only thing that I really needed to do was replace the photo picture frame I had taken down from my office with a new one. Now this may seem a very simple operation, but trust me, it is not.
I began the practice of hanging large picture frames containing multiple family photos on my office wall, in 1991. I was appointed to my first assignment as Principal. Over time, I became increasingly isolated and lonely in this new position. I quickly realized a need to surround myself with photographs of my loved ones. In moments of stress and uncertainty, I needed to be able to look up and see the smiling faces of my children, wife, and family. Kathy created that first photo frame album in 1991, and 2 more in the years that followed. I would suggest one as a possible Christmas or birthday gift, and she would make it. Updating and changing these picture frames became equally important because the kids were growing and changing so fast. These were the years that saw Tony and Prisa move from the eighth grade, to high school, to college, and, finally, to full-time employment, away from home.
The creation of a picture frame album may seem simple at first thought. The primary task is indeed simple, choosing photographs of family members that I love, and mounting them in a wall picture album. Easy, all one has to do is select pictures that they like. Wrong. Much thought, sensitivity, and judgment must go into this process before the final product is complete.
I took over the task of updating my office picture frames in 2003. Since then, I have made 2 picture frames for myself, and about 20 more for other family and friends. I’ve also come to the conclusion that there are many lurking landmines in the creation of these albums, and one must approach the task with care and trepidation. This caution has developed over a three year period of trial and error, with the realization that other people will be looking at these pictures, and judging them, from their own particular perspective.
So my first goal of 2007 was to choose 12 family photos that I wanted to place in a picture frame on my office wall. However, in order to accomplish this New Year’s resolution, five factors had to be considered before mounting the final photographs: Equity; Aesthetics; Emotional content; Recency; and finally, Balance.
1) Equity: People count photographs, and they notice the number of times they appear in them. Most viewers are subtle about this point, but some are not. Prisa always counts the number of times she appears, and announces it to other family members (especially her older brother). As the baby in the family, and only girl, she believes that there should always be more images of her. So, it is important to try and balance the appearance of people in the photo album, especially for immediate family members. How many times should family members appear; who are they; with whom do they appear; and what is their status and position in the family? Very complex calculations must be made in selecting the right number of photographs to insure equity. An equal number of appearances is a good beginning, but adjustments should always be considered.
2) Aesthetics: People look at their images in photographs and judge how they look. Do they look pretty, old, fat, or funny? Always assume that the person portrayed in the photo will ask you: Why did you pick that one? Therefore, only photos that flatter the people pictured should be considered. If not everyone looks good in a photo, don’t choose that picture. My wife is a particularly good judge of photo aesthetics. She will let me know immediately which photos flatter or misrepresent her, our children, and other family members. The editing of digital photos has been a big help to me in this area. With the ability to crop, alter, and enhance photos, it is easier to insure that everyone “looks fabulous” in a particular picture.
3) Emotional content: Photos are pictorial memories of events; joyous, sentimental, and painful. Every picture tells a story and communicates a feeling. Photos of weddings, graduations, parties, and celebrations, can fill the viewer with powerful emotions. The photo of Prisa’s Eighth Grade May Crowning always brings me to tears when I see the budding image of a young woman in that sweet and innocent, child-like face. A photo of Prisa, Kathy, and I, on a boat tour, is a happy memory of our trip to Chicago, but it can also remind the viewer that it occurred a month after a traumatic death in the family. At the same time, group photos taken at the funeral reception of Kathy’s Aunt Mary, are universally accepted as representations of a joyous occasion that united all the family at one moment in time. Therefore, since photos can, directly and indirectly, trigger happy or painful memories, it is important to consider the effect any picture may have on a possible viewer.
4) Recency: Photographs are temporal representations, so, a decision must be made as to the period of time a picture frame will show. How current should the photos be? I am a strong advocate that new office photo frames should be as up-to-date as possible, unless there is a particular purpose in showing old photographs when people were infants and children. As I have replaced my office frames with more current ones, I’ve inadvertently created a magical time line of four picture frames at home. The first picture frame that Kathy made for me in 1991, up to the first one I made for myself in 2003, hangs in the main hallway of our home. Photos of our dating and wedding days, infant and grade school children, and high school and college graduates are highlighted on these frames. They are a panoramic sweep of my life with Kathy from 1974 to 2003. They are wonderful memories, appropriate in a loving, welcoming home, but not, necessarily, in a workplace. When I am at school, I do not wish to be surrounded by shadows of the past; I need the comfort of the present. Nostalgic photos of a wondrous bride, magical infants, and the early, idyllic, years of marriage and parenthood, can too easily fuel self-pitying plunges into depression, when compared to the stark realities of the present. Where are the people portrayed in the old photographs? They exist in my memory, but not in the present. I need the representations of my loved ones to be as current in time as possible.
5) Balance: All of the factors I mentioned above must finally come together to form a balanced, integrated, whole. To accomplish this final phase, you must start placing the photos you have tentatively selected into their possible locations on a mock picture frame. It is helpful to have extra photos available, so that you can change, delete, and modify the field of images. Shape, color, symmetry, and family politics, must blend into a peaceful balance: How many single, double, of group images should I use? Will a photo of Kathy’s parents require another one of my mother? Where do I place the children? At this stage, I always ask the advice of Kathy, who has done many on her own. She provides input on equity, aesthetics, emotions, and recency. We move pictures around, trying them here and there, or eliminating them altogether. The person making the picture frame always gets final cut.
On January 2, 2007, the first day of school, I carried the completed twelve-photo picture frame to work. I hung it on my office wall and stepped back to admire it. There were an equal number of family images spread throughout the field, with Prisa topping the count at 9. Everyone in the photographs looked authentic, alert, and fabulous. All the representations were of happy times, with the subtle inclusion of a duet photo of Prisa and Tony at their grandmother’s burial reception. The dates of the photos ranged from May 11, 2002 (Prisa’s college graduation), to December 25, 2006 (the family Christmas party), with the majority falling in the last two years. In a break with tradition, I had introduced many photos of grandparents. There was a photo of Kathy and me with her parents, Kathy and her five younger sisters, with their mother, a photo of Prisa and her friend Katie, with her grandmother, and a photo of Prisa and me, with my mother.
As a whole, I was pleased with the balance and mood of the picture frame. I realized that there was a subconscious tendency to show a tipping point of time in the images I had chosen. In the period depicted, Kathy had suffered the loss of her sister and mother; and the children, their aunt and grandmother. I evidently wanted this photo album to show and remember our parents, the children’s grandparents, as they were, and are, up to this year. I wasn’t sure it would work, until I showed the field of photographs to Kathy. I think I saw a whisper of an understanding smile cross her lips as she said, “That’s good, Tony”.
So, this New Year starts with the culmination of a successful project; my first resolution of the year is complete. Let us pray that 2007 provides us with many days of happiness, and the patience and peace to deal with the adversity that helps us appreciate it.
So, it occurred to me to write about something I absolutely needed to achieve in 2007, instead of things that “I should do”. The only thing that I really needed to do was replace the photo picture frame I had taken down from my office with a new one. Now this may seem a very simple operation, but trust me, it is not.
I began the practice of hanging large picture frames containing multiple family photos on my office wall, in 1991. I was appointed to my first assignment as Principal. Over time, I became increasingly isolated and lonely in this new position. I quickly realized a need to surround myself with photographs of my loved ones. In moments of stress and uncertainty, I needed to be able to look up and see the smiling faces of my children, wife, and family. Kathy created that first photo frame album in 1991, and 2 more in the years that followed. I would suggest one as a possible Christmas or birthday gift, and she would make it. Updating and changing these picture frames became equally important because the kids were growing and changing so fast. These were the years that saw Tony and Prisa move from the eighth grade, to high school, to college, and, finally, to full-time employment, away from home.
The creation of a picture frame album may seem simple at first thought. The primary task is indeed simple, choosing photographs of family members that I love, and mounting them in a wall picture album. Easy, all one has to do is select pictures that they like. Wrong. Much thought, sensitivity, and judgment must go into this process before the final product is complete.
I took over the task of updating my office picture frames in 2003. Since then, I have made 2 picture frames for myself, and about 20 more for other family and friends. I’ve also come to the conclusion that there are many lurking landmines in the creation of these albums, and one must approach the task with care and trepidation. This caution has developed over a three year period of trial and error, with the realization that other people will be looking at these pictures, and judging them, from their own particular perspective.
So my first goal of 2007 was to choose 12 family photos that I wanted to place in a picture frame on my office wall. However, in order to accomplish this New Year’s resolution, five factors had to be considered before mounting the final photographs: Equity; Aesthetics; Emotional content; Recency; and finally, Balance.
1) Equity: People count photographs, and they notice the number of times they appear in them. Most viewers are subtle about this point, but some are not. Prisa always counts the number of times she appears, and announces it to other family members (especially her older brother). As the baby in the family, and only girl, she believes that there should always be more images of her. So, it is important to try and balance the appearance of people in the photo album, especially for immediate family members. How many times should family members appear; who are they; with whom do they appear; and what is their status and position in the family? Very complex calculations must be made in selecting the right number of photographs to insure equity. An equal number of appearances is a good beginning, but adjustments should always be considered.
2) Aesthetics: People look at their images in photographs and judge how they look. Do they look pretty, old, fat, or funny? Always assume that the person portrayed in the photo will ask you: Why did you pick that one? Therefore, only photos that flatter the people pictured should be considered. If not everyone looks good in a photo, don’t choose that picture. My wife is a particularly good judge of photo aesthetics. She will let me know immediately which photos flatter or misrepresent her, our children, and other family members. The editing of digital photos has been a big help to me in this area. With the ability to crop, alter, and enhance photos, it is easier to insure that everyone “looks fabulous” in a particular picture.
3) Emotional content: Photos are pictorial memories of events; joyous, sentimental, and painful. Every picture tells a story and communicates a feeling. Photos of weddings, graduations, parties, and celebrations, can fill the viewer with powerful emotions. The photo of Prisa’s Eighth Grade May Crowning always brings me to tears when I see the budding image of a young woman in that sweet and innocent, child-like face. A photo of Prisa, Kathy, and I, on a boat tour, is a happy memory of our trip to Chicago, but it can also remind the viewer that it occurred a month after a traumatic death in the family. At the same time, group photos taken at the funeral reception of Kathy’s Aunt Mary, are universally accepted as representations of a joyous occasion that united all the family at one moment in time. Therefore, since photos can, directly and indirectly, trigger happy or painful memories, it is important to consider the effect any picture may have on a possible viewer.
4) Recency: Photographs are temporal representations, so, a decision must be made as to the period of time a picture frame will show. How current should the photos be? I am a strong advocate that new office photo frames should be as up-to-date as possible, unless there is a particular purpose in showing old photographs when people were infants and children. As I have replaced my office frames with more current ones, I’ve inadvertently created a magical time line of four picture frames at home. The first picture frame that Kathy made for me in 1991, up to the first one I made for myself in 2003, hangs in the main hallway of our home. Photos of our dating and wedding days, infant and grade school children, and high school and college graduates are highlighted on these frames. They are a panoramic sweep of my life with Kathy from 1974 to 2003. They are wonderful memories, appropriate in a loving, welcoming home, but not, necessarily, in a workplace. When I am at school, I do not wish to be surrounded by shadows of the past; I need the comfort of the present. Nostalgic photos of a wondrous bride, magical infants, and the early, idyllic, years of marriage and parenthood, can too easily fuel self-pitying plunges into depression, when compared to the stark realities of the present. Where are the people portrayed in the old photographs? They exist in my memory, but not in the present. I need the representations of my loved ones to be as current in time as possible.
5) Balance: All of the factors I mentioned above must finally come together to form a balanced, integrated, whole. To accomplish this final phase, you must start placing the photos you have tentatively selected into their possible locations on a mock picture frame. It is helpful to have extra photos available, so that you can change, delete, and modify the field of images. Shape, color, symmetry, and family politics, must blend into a peaceful balance: How many single, double, of group images should I use? Will a photo of Kathy’s parents require another one of my mother? Where do I place the children? At this stage, I always ask the advice of Kathy, who has done many on her own. She provides input on equity, aesthetics, emotions, and recency. We move pictures around, trying them here and there, or eliminating them altogether. The person making the picture frame always gets final cut.
On January 2, 2007, the first day of school, I carried the completed twelve-photo picture frame to work. I hung it on my office wall and stepped back to admire it. There were an equal number of family images spread throughout the field, with Prisa topping the count at 9. Everyone in the photographs looked authentic, alert, and fabulous. All the representations were of happy times, with the subtle inclusion of a duet photo of Prisa and Tony at their grandmother’s burial reception. The dates of the photos ranged from May 11, 2002 (Prisa’s college graduation), to December 25, 2006 (the family Christmas party), with the majority falling in the last two years. In a break with tradition, I had introduced many photos of grandparents. There was a photo of Kathy and me with her parents, Kathy and her five younger sisters, with their mother, a photo of Prisa and her friend Katie, with her grandmother, and a photo of Prisa and me, with my mother.
As a whole, I was pleased with the balance and mood of the picture frame. I realized that there was a subconscious tendency to show a tipping point of time in the images I had chosen. In the period depicted, Kathy had suffered the loss of her sister and mother; and the children, their aunt and grandmother. I evidently wanted this photo album to show and remember our parents, the children’s grandparents, as they were, and are, up to this year. I wasn’t sure it would work, until I showed the field of photographs to Kathy. I think I saw a whisper of an understanding smile cross her lips as she said, “That’s good, Tony”.
So, this New Year starts with the culmination of a successful project; my first resolution of the year is complete. Let us pray that 2007 provides us with many days of happiness, and the patience and peace to deal with the adversity that helps us appreciate it.
