City Photos

I made a delightful discovery today.

I've added a new student to my google reader, and she shared this photo. I was surprised by the blue cornflower in the bottom corner--a little poetic irony that made me smile. It reminds me of being delightfully startled by yellow daisy-like flowers on the way to school Monday morning. It's like the funny, ironic turn at the end of our recent Collins poems.

Then I found that this photo is part of a series, and that series is part of an interesting blog movement: City Daily Photos. This appears to be an online collective of blogging photographers from all over the world who post photos depicting daily life where they live.

With this collective, I can visit the places I used to live. I found this one, from where I grew up in Minneapolis. I like it because he gives his photo how-to's and also gives the city location of his shots. I also found one from the beautiful city where I went to university. While, it's much easier to appreciate the city when you can see it without fearing frost-bitten epidermal death, the pictures recall my shame from not appreciating the city enough when I lived there. I'm so grateful for these Minnesota blogs because I miss the beauty of the fall leaves, and I have it here.

Of course, the first city whose photos I sought was London. I found three interesting London blogs, and added them to my Reader feed folder labeled "Britain". This guy even puts his photos on the map. The English city where I went to university is known for being the "ugliest city in England," so it's no surprise no one runs around shooting it to post. If I lived there, I'd make it my mission to make it look lovely.

I was struck by the dailyness of it: daily photos make room in the series for more pedestrian subjects and a real sense of life in a place--so we don't have to feel so much like a tourist. And while tourism has its exciting charms, what I ultimately want is to rightfully consider myself as a resident.

I also liked that daily commitment to sharing and taking photos. I think, "If I lived in a better place, I'd participate in this." It's true travel photos are always easier to take because everything is interesting in cities that are famous for being interesting, but this could speak more to my self-destructive, "life-will-begin-once-I-leave-Central-Florida" syndrome. I think maybe a real challenge would be in finding art in the daily-ness of Clermont and Montverde--maintaining artistic diligence regardless of my surroundings.