Last November one of the employees at work came to see me because he had heard that I was “some kind of professional photographer”. With a smile on my face, I had to explain to him that I was not a professional but I was curious as to the reason behind his question. Turns out he had an assignment for me and yesterday I finally had a chance to work on it.
Brian is a burly and brusque kind of guy who has a killer sense of humour and a heart of gold. He’s worked as part of our facilties crew for at least three maybe four years and has helped to move my office at least twice. At the moment he is helping me to clear out my current office for my move to work from home starting hopefully this week. We made arrangements to meet at the end of the day to photograph a quilt his mother made at least 30 years ago. He wanted to have it documented in case anything happened to it or to him.
We laid out the quilt on a sheet in my nearly bare office space and Brian brought in a ladder for me get high enough to photograph the entire quilt. I photographed it with both my Sigma 10-20mm and my favourite lens, the 17-35mm (affectionately known as “The Fox” and thank you Stuart). Because of the angle at which I was shooting, I knew I’d have to correct the perspective in post so I made sure there was lots of room around the quilt. Here’s the final result from Photoshop and Lightroom.
I was very curious to know a little more about the quilt so I asked Brian for the story. It’s a simple story but one that reflects the connection between generations. Brian’s mother made a quilt for each of her three surviving children. On this particular quilt, there are five squares where you can clearly see the stitching.
The quilt was made from scrapes of fabric and these five squares were ones that Brian’s mother decided she didn’t like once the quilt was completed. So she made Brian sew five new patches over the existing ones. In a sense this quilt is a collaborative project between mother and son and you can see how much it is treasured just by the way Brian held it. When we were done, I asked him if I could take his portrait with the quilt but he declined so I asked if it would be ok to just make an image of the quilt and his hands and he agreed. I actually think it turned out to be much more effective.
While Brian was busy putting the ladder back, I had a chance to photograph it more closely which is when I made the above images. I also used one of my favourite techniques (multiple exposures–there are 5 here) to create a more abstract image which I feels give the viewer a feeling of how much work went into making the quilt and what a labour of love it was. Brian of course was suitably unimpressed with the image and said I should take it to an art gallery and they would like it. And that my friends was not a compliment. It is my favourite image from the shoot.
I loved being a part of documenting this personal history and I’m grateful for Brian for agreeing to let me share his story. To me, photography isn’t only about the images. It’s also about the stories they tell and how we can share a piece of ourselves with the world.
Certainly photography is about the story and human connections and you did well here!
Great story and love the multiple exposures photo! Its definitely all about the story the photo tells.
First of all, don’t sweat that Bryan did not like the multiple exposure. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. He was looking for an archival shot, you experimented with a fine art shot. No biggie but admire his honesty for speaking his mind.
I have something in common with Bryan. My grandmother crochet me a wool blanket for me in 1976. I still have it today. It’s kinda ugly. It’s a zig zag pattern of red, white, and blue but there is no way I could ever let it go. Bryan had a great idea to photograph his quilt. Maybe I should do the same since I don’t use it anymore. It’s currently buried safely away in storage.
Also, Bryan’s quilt story reminds me of Dolly Parton’s song, “Coat of Many Colors”. Listen to it on this YouTube link and really pay attention to the lyrics.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c1zJzr-kWsI
I didn’t quite express myself clearly on this, Chris. I didn’t mind that Brian didn’t like the abstract image and his reaction was pretty much what I expected from him. In fact his honesty mixed with dry humour are two things I really like about him. I made that image for myself and looking at it afterwards, I realized why. It’s a lot like a Paul Klee whose work I’ve loved for a very long time.
Thanks for the link to the Dolly Parton song. I remember it from a long time ago and the lyrics really are beautiful.
A nice story and an even better feeling, I’m sure, using your photography to help someone preserve such a personal experience.
Sabrina,
I guess this is just one of the instances again where a beautiful story and a different approach to trying to tell it won’t always come up with what everyone is expecting of it. I personally enjoyed your photos, but I do see that with an object like this quilt – and I’m sure that even more so goes for persons and personal stories – there is so much visual room to interprete it with our methods, that we can hardly get the story exactly “right”.
Still, a great effort to document the quilt and make sure it is preserved. After all we only really care for our legacy to survive, somehow.
Thanks for the blog!
Lovely story Sabrina, nicely told
Beautiful story and photographs
Your last one reminds me very much of a Paul Klee painting and is destined to become one of my favorites.
Those last three sentences of the post. That is what it’s all about isn’t it. People and ther stories. I’m touched by this one and I don’t even know Brian. At least I didn’t till now.
Thanks for all the comments, everyone. I’m pleased the story is resonating with people and I have Brian to thank for that.
I do like your multiple exposure shots. They’re awesome. I keep forgetting to go and make some of my own.
That second shot of the whole quilt front on really grabbed my attention. Love the strong, bold colours and the geometry. Looks more like an oil pastel painting than a photo.
What a wonderful story and images, Sabrina. Now I wonder what else will come your way.
I love this post, Sabrina. I love that Brian knew that a photograph was the perfect way to honor the legacy of the quilt. And if you didn’t know the story of the quilt, you might not have been moved to try to express it with a multiple exposure. (Brian’s reaction is priceless.) I love reading about your creative process and seeing the images that result. You inspire me.
A wonderful project. No surprise from me, I guess. All those years with museum work makes me wish more people did this!
A great story behind these beautifully produced images…
Congratulations! Sabrina.
Peofessional or not, it is just a title.
To me, the most important thing is you have the strong passion, prepared mind, connection with people and their soul, reflection and beyond …
Technically, would that be better if you redirect Brain’s hand and have a difrerent background spot on the quilt, so people may have easier connection to the whole quilt? (This is just personally view)
Keep on your great photography journey and work!
Thanks for the new comments. Today I gave Brian a framed print of the quilt (Image #2) and he was really pleased. He wants two more prints for his family!