It seems that a lot of my time & energy lately has been focused on children & babies so I suppose it is natural that my recent art focus has been on that subject as well. Above is an image I am planning on entering in an upcoming competition. Although I am finished editing the photo part of the image I want to add a quote about childhood to composition for some added emphasis. After doing some searching these are the quotes that I am drawn to:
“Only those who look with the eyes of children can lose themselves in the object of their wonder” Arnold
“We find a delight in the beauty and happiness of children, that makes the heart too big for the body” Emerson
“If you carry your childhood with you, you never become older.” Stoppard
“There is a garden in every childhood, an enchanted place where colors are brighter, the air softer, and the morning more fragrant than ever again.” Lawrence
“While we try to teach our children all about life, our children teach us what life is all about.”
Childhood is the most beautiful of all life’s seasons. ~Author Unknown
“A child’s world is fresh and new and beautiful, full of wonder and excitement.” Carson
“Children have neither past nor future; they enjoy the present.” Bruyere
“It’s a happy talent to know how to play.” Emerson
“Never be afraid to have too much fun”
“The delight of a child is contagious.”
“We do not remember days, we remember moments.” Pavese
I thought I would post these here and get some feedback for a couple of days to help me decide which one fits best with the image. Surely that will work better than the “Eeny, meeny, miny, moe” method!
Whatchya think?
Lynne
A Randomly Creative Blog 
I LOVE the one by Carson. My second choice would be the one by Bruyere. Both are great quotes for this photo. They’re simple, quiet and peaceful just like the feeling I get from the photo–a child lost in his quiet adventure through nature’s magical expanse.
Thanks April!
I think it’s a wonderful photo. Very beautifully taken. Could you please explain more about how you reached the final product. It’s beautiful, thank you for sharing it!
The original photo was in color. I changed it to B&W then added a little soft filter effect around everything but the boy. The next step was to add some antique/film effect layers over that at different opacities until I was happy with it. I also added a bottom-weighted, slightly off-white mat around the entire image. I’ll play with the placement of the quote, it may be over-laid on the bottom of the image or just placed directly at the bottom of the mat. Thanks for asking!
Thanks for the explanation, it’s always interesting to see something different and then to try the technique. I’m sure I’ll give it a go this summer! 🙂
the quote by Bruyere is my choice… I read through the quotes and came back to Bruyere’s words immediately. Those words made me look again at the image. None of the others did that for me. I do like the Carson quote as a close second though.
Thanks Tammy! It really helps to hear what others think…I get overwhelmed with selecting things like that. 🙂
Bruyere was my pick also.
Thanks Donna…so far that seems to be the most popular!
The one by Stoppard touches me the most. I think all of us need to hold on to that inner child.
That was the first quote I liked enough to put on my list! 🙂 I need more inner child a lot of days!
Lynne,
Very nice print! I vote for the quote by Stoppard because looking at the print with the antiquing around the border reminds me of an old sepia photo and happy memories of childhood.
I like the one by Arnold because he seems to be just enjoying the wonder or the nature.
I like your photo and the quotes are worthy but I feel if you could come up with your own quote then the entire piece is somehow more authentic. The web is littered with other peoples quotes. Your an artist and you write your blog well; it cant be too much a stretch!
Wow, that’s a great idea Steve! I am always searching for quotes to express exactly what I am trying to say…why not just say it?