worth a thousand words

I love today's reverb 10 prompt. How ironic it is considering a large part of today has been about taking pictures (what with the Christmas and the several inches of snow!) and what a refresh it was to get so excited about a prompt again. I also love that it just so happens to be written by one of the Shutter Sisters, I blog I often stalk, who also is an author of their new book, Expressive Photography, which I bought myself for Christmas just a few weeks ago.

the question: Sift through all the photos of you from the past year. Choose one that best captures you; either who you are, or who you strive to be. Find the shot of you that is worth a thousand words. Share the image, who shot it, where, and what it best reveals about you.


my answer:
I did exactly what the prompt asked for and sifted through every picture I've been tagged in this past year on facebook. (That was the easiest possible way to do it, after all.) I had a great time looking through them and laughing at the memories each picture held. When it came down to it, I struggled for a long time to pick just one... other runners up included me holding both the skillets after winning some OMC one Thursday at camp, a wonderful picture of some of my favorite camp staffers in ponchos and sombreros (me with a fake mustache drawn on), pictures with a colorful bunch of balloons, and me at the North Campus fountain with a precious friend after I did her engagement shoot. However, the winner tonight is a bit out of the ordinary. Drumroll please...

This picture of me is not the best... I don't look good, it isn't professional, it makes me look twelve, and it might not speak to my normal everyday existence but nonetheless I love everything about it. It was taken sitting outside the grass at a Needtobreathe concert earlier this year. I love it because not only am I closely surrounded by four wonderful friends, Katie Price Hill loved me enough to stick her finger up my nose the instant the camera snapped, causing me to move and be the only one in the middle of the picture. It was one in a long series of pictures I took of all of us that night, sitting and laughing outside a concert that none of us should have gotten into. There is nothing as sweet as great music, good friends, and the joy that comes from simply being together. It speaks to my heart because even when I try to be serious, my life is nothing more than hilarious and I am grateful to always have good friends to remind me of that. Life is silly, embarrassment is not worth the time, and I take pride in finding the ability to laugh in most all situations. Good friends are critical and I have the very best ones you could ask for (roommates too.) and I wouldn't give that up for the world. This picture and the story behind it sum up my themes for the year-- love, laughter, and adventure and even though I look ridiculous, I count that as a win.

That is all for now, friends. I hope you had an incredibly Merry Christmas!