I like those blogs wherein you can catch a glimpse into family life. I defend the voyeuristic taint of that sentence by declaring that these glimpses are more comforting than anything... I don't really care what they're about, as long as the gaze is simple, somwhere between cared-for and unpretentious. Snapshots of our days would include Lego, kids on the couch with a book or an iPad, games with their Dad and the collection of things we do outdoors: play with the dog, eat popsicles, splash in the inflatable pool. My snapshots would be kitchen-themed: our first test of Strawberry Milk from Prune, Niçoise salad with beans from our garden potatoes and tomatoes from the market; pineapple chicken, banana muffins, and rice crispies. They are as much to satisfy my need to nurture as they are to feed the family. But mostly, I have a craving for normalcy. I have a craving for pictures that say "hey! here's what I've been up to! here's a little piece of my world, what it looks like, how it feels and some not very deep thoughts about it. how are you? I hope you're well! here's a recipe!"

Teju Cole writes about the photography of objects in Object Lesson and concludes this about it: "We look at them for the way they cooperate with the imagination, the way they contain what cannot otherwise be accomodated, and the way they grant us, to however modest a degree, some kind of solace." I find this especially trueof pictures of abandonned places. I'm tempted to take pictures of objects to try to replicate the effect. How do you capture a hovering presence? A recent absence? How do you make a frame around something so that it imparts naturalness... There is a talent to communicating a relaxed feeling.

You can often find advice along the lines of doing the thing you wish were already done... Of filling a perceived gap. I don't think there are gaps, really, but maybe just not enough of the particular thing I like.