Musings
an Online Journal of Sorts

By Alyce Wilson

I recently found out that my submission has been approved for an interesting online project, called A Picture's Worth. The concept is based on the idea that every picture is supposedly worth 1000 words. With that in mind, photographers share some of their favorite photos and the stories behind them.

The guy behind the site, David Chin, contacted me because I'd participated in the May Day Project last year. He invited me to submit a photograph, but it took me several months before I could go through all possible photos and decide.

The photo I selected is called "Peasant Girl" and appears in the August 2004 section of the Gallery, accessible from the home page.

I considered several photos before deciding, many simply because the stories behind them were not strong enough. Still, they're interesting enough to share, with some brief write-ups.

Poultry Research Farm

My sophomore year at Penn State, I lived in East Halls, an impersonal dorm complex at the upper corner of campus, which seemed dreadfully isolated and windblown on cold walks home during winter. But in the summer, it was a different story, as you passed the campus swimming pool, which was typically crammed full of swimmers. Penn State boasts a great agricultural program, and it just so happened that one of their outbuildings was located immediately next to the swimming pool. The proximity of the sign amused me, especially given the possible slang ramifications, so one day I took this picture.

Unexpected Sparrow

We had only been married a year, but our marriage was falling apart. While I had hoped our summer vacation to Massachusetts would give us time to relax and work things out, a series of setbacks — rained out camp sites, oppressive crowds, relentless suburban traffic — only intensified the stress that threatened to tear us apart. In the midst of this, stopped in a fast food parking lot on our way to see Emily Dickinson's house in Amherst, a sparrow landed on my truck's antenna, remaining there long enough for me to take a couple pictures.

My husband and I separated shortly after the trip and divorced just after our second anniversary. But with the clarity of hindsight, I realize divorcing was the right thing to do, freeing me up to reshape my life. When I look at this photo now, I remember the exhilaration I felt when I took it, lifting me out of the misery of the moment. It was as if I'd been blessed, at the exact moment I felt the worst.

Firewalker

As the world breathlessly awaited the dire Y2K predictions to come true on January 1, 2000, I was with my sister, my brother, his then-fiancee and various friends in Colorado. The host had decided to have a large bonfire outside, which we fed with scrap of wood scrounged from the surrounding countryside. Even next to such a large fire, bundled up as one typically is in Colorado, keeping warm was a challenge. We danced around from foot to foot, held our hands to the fire, and periodically went inside to warm up.

Most of my brother's friends worked at the local ski resort, and all loved an adventure, so sometime after midnight they challenged each other, one by one, to run through the flames. I was lucky with this photo, to capture one of them right as he hit the very center of the fire. The contrast of the flames against the dark background, and the great timing, make the resulting picture all the more dramatic. In truth, the flames had died down and were only stirred up by the movement. Everyone came through completely unscathed, although it's not recommended party behavior.

When I show the picture to people now, I typically preface it by saying, "It was so cold in Colorado, we could think of only one way to warm up: by actually getting in the fire."

Copyright 2004 by Alyce Wilson

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