Neither Edward nor I own a bicycle. So that presented a challenge for an illustration for Edward's poem “Laughter”, until I remembered that several people in the office ride to work each day. Maybe I could just borrow one.
Who did I ask if I could borrow their bicycle? My boss, Nathaniel.
Being the good sport he is, it was not a problem, even though I felt I needed to explain why. Edward is a writer, I reminded him, I take pictures to illustrate his pieces.
I had to wait for the sun to come out, as it was cloudy all morning, but in the afternoon the sky broke. It was better light, even though I took the picture in the shade. The colors were brighter than if it had remained overcast.
I like the contrast between the orange of the frame and the green of the grass. Several of the pictures took advantage of the bicycle's frame elements, brightly crossing the image in diagonal slashes, as well as the curve of the wheel, all design elements talked about in the photography courses. Focus shifted from the gears to the frame in different pictures, one third up the picture frame, or one third down.
This wasn’t the first time I’ve taken pictures at work for Edward’s writing. But now I am sure that a number of the people think I’m wholly crazy. Why else would I be sitting in the grass in the courtyard, camera in hand, leaning in close to the spokes of a borrowed bicycle lying on the ground.
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