The room in which this photo was taken is decorated exclusively by family portraits. Most are school pictures of our sons, ranging from gap-toothed grammar school boys to awkward adolescence to nearly grown-up senior portraits. There are baby pictures, wedding photos, strip-mall portrait studio mementos and fading images of the long-since deceased from previous generations.
For this month’s prompt, “Mirrors,” we decided to create our own portrait, representing the private side of us that is known only to our readers here. As many of you have recognized, we have a fondness for the creative employment of mirrors — examples here, here, and here — but we chose to play this one straight. A simple pose in a family album frame, that would never be found in a laminated coffee-table keepsake.
Click the lips below to see who else is reflecting this week:
I saw the title before the picture loaded and for a moment I was really concerned there was going to be a hay fork involved. Glad to see my fears were unfounded. Lovely picture, you two.
Thanks, dear! No pitchforks, this time. 😉
I love that you kept this one simple. You both look amazing.
Probably not what Molly had in mind, but there was a lot of symbolism in play, for us. Thank you!
Very confident and creative. Faces hidden but so personal. It all fits nicely together. I really like this image.
Thanks very much! We like the raw-ness of this image. It was fun to shoot. 🙂
Love the couple photo, creative
Many thanks to you! Our favorite photos are always the ones of us together. 🙂
A lovely image. So well taken and so tasteful. xx
Thank you kindly! Maybe eventually we will go back and post the not-so-tasteful early efforts… 😉
Oh I absolutely love this!
You play so beautifully with the traditional family portrait – the poses are perfect.
Like you’re in your respectable Sunday Best with no knickers on or something. It’s brilliantly done x x feels so naughty
Much appreciated! It was easy to be inspired, while surrounded by so many carefully posed portraits. 🙂
A beautiful intimate picture. Love the nod to Grant Wood! Very clever.
Mr. Wood’s piece was the first thing we thought of, when conceptualizing a pose for this. 🙂
I’ve always loved that painting
We do, too! We did some reading about the details, and the way it came together is pretty fascinating.
Oh really? I must go look it up
🙂
Beautiful composition.
Thanks very much! ~C
Which is a shame because it would make for a much more interesting coffee table keepsake than most of the ones you see! Beautiful image and I love the contrast between your nakedness and the formality of the poses.
Mollyxxx
Wouldn’t it be something, to have a little photo book just for these types of pictures? Oh, well, we will have to leave it up to the internet to take care of our history. 🙂 Thank you for your thoughts!
Just beautiful . . . you look gorgeous together and I love everything about this photo!!!
Xxx – K
Thank you, dear, and we appreciate the re-tweet! ~C
Also worried about the pitchforks but love the picture and the family portraiture effect. Really fantastic idea and image.
Thank you very kindly! We have some farmhouse/stable ideas for later in the summer, so maybe the pitchfork idea will come back around… 😉
This is wonderful! I love your pose and the backstory about this photo being taken in a room of family photos just adds to the allure. I also love the way we can see deep into the rooms of your house, it adds history and reality and weight somehow. Also, the use of the mirror is so subtle, you have to be looking to see that the image is mirror-flipped. Really wonderful!
It’s funny about the reflection — We are sitting square in the middle of the room with the portraits, but the photo looks backward, into the foyer and beyond that to a peek into the dining room. It does add a lot of depth! Glad you liked the picture! ~C
Lovely portrait image. i love your other mirror photos as well. Very creative.
Thank you! Glad you took a look around. 🙂
Is it bad that I kind of wish there *were* a pitchfork in this photo? 😉 It’s a fabulous pose, and you both look great! I don’t know why, but it reminds me of the JC Penney catalogs from the 80s… if those catalogs were a bit more nude. It would make a great (Canon? Nikon?) ad, in any case!
Thank you, Jo! We thought the traditional pose and edit would make the concept even more subversive. Family albums so seldom contain an intentional nipple! 😉 ~C
oh i love this, and i love your necklace–you got all dolled up for this photo!!!
Sometimes I forget to accessorize, but I didn’t forget for this one! 🙂 ~C
gorgeous, just gorgeous!!!
🙂 🙂 🙂
I absolutely love the concept of the image here and the execution is perfect!
Velvet x
Thank you, Velvet! It’s one of those rare occasions when we knew exactly what we wanted to do! 🙂
Quite simply, I adore this, the concept and the execution. And the thought of the family photos made me remember something I wrote a few years ago:
https://fridayam.wordpress.com/2010/11/03/faces-over-time/
and it also chimes with a story idea I have been mulling for ages but now think I should write. Thank for your inspiration 🙂 x
Love that piece! And looking forward to the next one! 🙂 ~C
Very creative, and I like the reflection.
Thank you, Aurora! And welcome! ~C
absolutely adorable!
Thank you, lovely! 🙂
You two are so creative. This is a fantastic image! I absolutely love it!
Thank you, Aiden! This turned out better than we even imagined it! 🙂 ~C
Oh, this is wonderful! It’s so beautifully lit and I love how you have upturned convention. This really is the sort of portrait that should be up on the wall! Xxx
We’d love to have a wall to display these! Oh, to have a house to ourselves… 😉
It’s such a shame, that photo should be framed on the wall!
Very kind of you, thanks! ~C
You are both so sexy and wonderfully creative!
And you are very sweet! 🙂
Nicely done.
Thank you! We received a lot of lovely feedback on it. 🙂
Absolutely stunning, as always! 🙂
xxPenny
You are such a sweetheart! Thank you! 🙂 ~C
Creatively done!!!
Thanks very much, darling! ~C