July 20

It's good to have friends, and I'm fortunate to have some pretty great friends in my life.

My friend Brandon snapped the photo above (see original here) on one of our photo walks out to Castle Island in June. Anna is one of my best friends in Boston, and the sense of camaraderie we feel when together is remarkable. Brandon managed to capture that in this photograph; it's one of my favorite images.

Anna's birthday was last Saturday, so I didn't get the chance to give her a birthday gift. With the current precarious state of my finances, buying anything worthwhile was out of the question. However, I have a photo printer, glossy inkjet paper, a frame, and a wonderful image to work with. I desaturated the image and put a black hairline around it to define the edge, then set it off with a broad white margin to give it a classic dignity. I'm pretty proud of the results; it's playful and fun, while having an elegance that most photos of me lack.

Now that I've made one for Anna, I'm going to make another print for myself. It's going to occupy a place of honor on my office wall -- along with other images I collect of all of my great friends.

201/365 -