From the Backside

A funny thing has happened since I started this photo Challenge 5 months ago. I have really seen a change in the way I look at and appreciate things. Part of this has developed into a love of things from the backside. I have yet to gain an appreciation for my backside, but that's not what we're talking about here today.

I used to always make an effort to run around my subject to get a shot from the front. It was important, I thought, to get faces in the shot or to frame something so it was clear what I was picturing. This Challenge has taught me to look at things from unexpected angles and has taught me that there is beauty and interest to be found in unexpected places.

I have fallen in love with the backsides of flowers.

And, sometimes, just catching a glimpse of someone from the rear is enough to make you wonder what they are thinking.

And, at other times, a picture from the backside is just more discreet.

Just look at that nibble-worthy neck! Only photographable from the backside.

In my past life as a boring-mom-photographer, I never would have seen the point in taking a picture like this of my children:

Or this:

But the point is, there is no point. It's just fun! And I have come to understand through this process that there are things I can learn about my children by looking at them from unexpected angles-- from the backside. I think I am a better mom because of it.

What's the point of this next shot? Nothing really. I took it because I wanted to and I like to look at it. I finally figured out that there doesn't have to be a point!

Every day I am reminded of how my life has changed, and continues to change, because of taking photographs. When you take photos of your life from either the backside or the frontside, the life you see isn't always what you expect.

But that's what makes it interesting.