If you heard about photojournalist Robin Bowman’s new photography book, It’s Complicated: The American Teenager on All Things Considered, then you’ll really enjoy the photo gallery from the book from NPR online.
I have to admit that as a writer I love looking at photographs of people. There are so many stories behind the eyes that stare out at you challengingly or with visible happiness or melancholy. It was a treat to hear last summer that Tamora Pierce uses acres of National Geographics and fashion magazines for the same purpose — just the pictures of the people. The human face can be fascinating, and can provide a needed bump to the imagination when a writer gets stuck.
Recently, The Library of Congress set up a Flickr site for their old photos, and they provide a fascinating glimpse of the past. This photo of a glam 40’s chick, putting rivets on a bomber makes me smile. Her lipstick matches her nail polish, her eyebrows are plucked to within an inch of their lives, and she’s wearing a huge ring, but that doesn’t mean our girl isn’t working.
See? You could write a fifty word flash fiction piece about her right now.
Randomly: Wow! MIT has free online college courses!? Who knew? (Well, apparently mental_floss, and a hat tip to them for the great link.)