Wednesday, December 06, 2006

The story of shoes.

This is something I've been thinking about for a long time. It is, in essence, an homage to two wonderful ladies who have given me so much, in some cases without even knowing it.

The first is my adopted daughter, who inspired me to begin taking pictures of shoes strung up on telephone wires to begin with, and who incorporated them into her wonderful design for this journal. No, she didn't tell me to photograph hanging shoes; before I began to look carefully at photos she posted in her current (and previous) journals, I was not much of an experimenter with a camera. I looked at the images she put up, as well as many others she sent me, and learned to feel free to play with my digital camera.

And this was the first of the series...



Once addicted , I continued...



...and chronicled the life of the shoes in a smoke-filled sky...



...on cloudy days...



...and foggy evenings...



...in moonlight...



...and no light...



As I say, I've been thinking about posting a Shoe Retrospective to thank Whatsername for the inspiration and friendship.

But the impetus to finally dig out all these old images came from another very sweet lady, who has been a good friend and has recently gone through some serious problems of her own. Last night, she sent me a message which said, in part, "It's pretty weird how your pics of the shoes in the power lines can cause me to want to continue my personal fight to live, but they do. I think I have saved every one of them."

I don't care why she feels this way; I am simply happy that it is so.

So now, I dedicate the Story of Shoes to these two wonderful women, both of whom have given me so much in terms of encouragement and happiness through our friendships.

14 comments:

Anonymous said...

They really are great pictures, and very interesting..what are the shoes doing there? Paula told me about the shoes before I ever came here but I still wonder why they're there.:)

MrScribbler said...

Betty -- I have come to the conclusion that they are there for Whatsername and my other sweet friend.

It doesn't matter why else they might have been put there. I enjoy taking pictures of them, and they make my friends happy.

Anonymous said...

These are BRILLIANT!!!!!!

I *love* unusual photos - and this is one of the most original thoughts i've come across in a long time!!

There must be a demand for "Story of Shoes" books for people's coffee tables!!!

Wishing you a peaceful and warm day,

*hugs* and aloooooha!

Anonymous said...

We have a pair in our neighborhood right now that look just like those, lol. I was looking at them yesterday and wondering how they'd gotten them up there so evenly. Looked like nice shoes too, bummer.. :)

John0 Juanderlust said...

Don't let lost soles get wind of this. Don't know where he's been, but once he gets fired up there's no stopping.
Are all those the same pair of shoes on a wire?

MrScribbler said...

HarpO -- in the year-plus I've been shooting the shoes (so to speak) there have been two pair on the wire. As of today, the utility company has cut the second pair down.

If some gangabanger doesn't get some up there soon, I have a pair in my closet ready to go....

Anonymous said...

There is a rumor about those shoes in the wires. Some people believe they represent death of a loved one, weather it be a gang related member or other.
It's a homage.
It sort of reminds me of the crosses you see on the road.
When I go, all I want is a pair of old tennis shoes thrown into the wires. Maybe red ones . . .
Anne
oH by the way, You ROCK!
Carry on!

MrScribbler said...

anne -- I don't care about the truth behind the shoes on wires -- I like to think of them as rebellious expression. It's a kind of art form that makes people think about what they might represent.

Besides, they are a photographer's challenge! At least this photographer....

Anonymous said...

I like this series of photos a lot, it's very creative and it makes me want to be able to capture something in the same sense

Dorrie said...

I agree.. this set of photos is great! you catch the mood, the scene... pity they've been removed...

MrScribbler said...

birdie -- there will be more on the line soon...even if I have to get 'em up there!

Doug said...

I could send you a half dozen (at least!) pairs of shoes and boots if you wanted to cover the neighborhood.

MrScribbler said...

thanks, dal...I have a pair of WallyMart's best all laced up and ready to go....

Whatsername again....? said...

i heard that the shoes meant there was a crackhouse nearby.

but i like the homage bit better.

YAY FOR SHOEZ