oh no, not my face! © Lilly Schwartz 2012

These girls were smoking outside the mall the other day. I took a quick picture of them right when one of the girls coughed or sneezed or something. Although I was originally planning to post another picture this turned out to be strangely captivating. The light is a little too harsh, but I like the combination of completely opposite clothing styles and the strong contrasts. Although not very pronounced this is also a layered picture. The police van in the background, the bike, the shadow of one of the girls’ hairdos, the strange unreadable reflection in the window on the left. Somehow the picture strikes me as mysterious. It’s hard to figure out what’s going on and that’s what seems so interesting to me.

On a different note and in case you wondered, of course I’ll continue this blog after finishing my 365 project in 9 days. The project was a way of getting into a daily habit of engaging with photography and I really want to keep that going. I feel that I’ve come really far within this one year, but there is so much more to learn and to explore in photography. When I go out now I always have a camera with me and I see my surroundings differently. I also keep reading about photography, looking at photography books and I keep engaging. The next big thing will be to keep working on my analog photography. I want to learn to develop my own film and other dark room techniques. I also have a growing list of things and places I’d like to photograph.

So, no, I’m not thinking of abandoning this blog. On the contrary. There will be a few changes around here, but I think you can still expect a daily pictures from me. Doing things daily is such an opportunity for growth and that’s what I want for my photography.