Photography – Page 2 – Margin Notes

Two Short Beginnings – Writing in New Brunswick with Images as Prompts

Posted on August 8, 2021September 21, 2021 by S. R. Shilling

Yesterday I met up with a friend in New Brunswick (NJ). We were hoping to get a bit of writing done. I took a train North, while she took a train South, we met in the middle roughly equidistant from where we each live. Neither one of us are terribly familiar with the area, though I spent a brief amount of time during my college years living with an ex-girlfriend of mine. I arrived first and walked to a park, the train station in sight. I, like many writers, often–almost exclusively–write in solitude, in my kitchen, a usually controlled environment where my dog seems to always understand what’s going on. I had no idea what to expect, how I would perform writing outside of my kitchen.

Is This Enough? – A New Lifelong Project

Posted on July 5, 2021September 21, 2021 by S. R. Shilling

What a presumptuous title for me of all people, serial beginner of projects never to be completed. Regardless, I think I can stick to this one. At least for a decent amount of time.

The following are the notes I took shortly after the idea came to me.

CH – Woman Browsing the Market; Saturday 13 July 2019

Posted on June 25, 2021September 21, 2021 by S. R. Shilling

Saturday was the day of the wedding. I remember waking up somewhat later than normal. I cooked in my host’s kitchen and sat outside to enjoy my meal, a book I had brought with me, and the sounds of the morning. When I finally ventured out I was surprised to see that the winding streets and small open spaces, like the piazzas you might find in Italy, were flooded with people. The quiet city had turned into a bustling market. Everything imaginable was being sold. Amidst the hum of bargaining, the laughter of children, and the conversations mobile canopies sheltered both sellers and browsers, framed paintings, electronics, clothes, lamps, flowers, silverware, produce, rugs and other home furnishings.

CH – Miles Davis’ Face on a Vinyl Record – 09:20; 10 July, 2019

Posted on June 25, 2021September 21, 2021 by S. R. Shilling

A vinyl record with a face painted on it affixed to a brick wall in Winterthur, Switzerland.

One of the first things that caught my eye as I walked from the Winterthur station to my hosts house was a record suspended on the brick facade of a building. Thinking back on it now. I can’t be certain whether it was at the base of a set of stairs which lead up to a second floor entrance or not. I’m pretty sure it was. What struck me as odd was not merely the fact that someone had nailed, or somehow affixed a vinyl record to the outer brick wall of this very industrial looking building, but that someone had painted a face on it. Nowadays, vinyl records are being produced with all manner of designs on them as a way to make the object of the record more appealing, more visually interesting. As if a large disc of plastic with microscopic bumps and grooves that makes music isn’t fascinating enough.