here are the stories behind lisa wiseman’s [talking pictures]: “These are three photos that I took out of pure spontaneous happiness. The fact that they were all taken with Polaroid is purely coincidental.”

“This first photo I took after spending the morning hanging out with chickens and gorgeous yummy eggs at Soul Food Farm with the owner Alexis. At the time, Alexis’ puppy was young and had spent the last 2 hours running lost through the miles of hills surrounding the farm. I had also just spent quite a bit of time galloping happily all over the property (thank you Alexis!) with the chickens, washing eggs for the market, and admiring the gorgeous scenery. It was such a lovely morning that I didn’t even mind having sprained my ankle. I came back to the house to find the puppy reappeared and finally sitting still for the first time all morning. I crept over to him and took one happy sunlit shot.”

“This photo is simply my mother in essence. I took this photo while hanging out with her and testing a new camera. I was working through a pack of test film and took the shot of her counter top among other shots of both her and myself. This shot is perfectly her: the gold bangle bracelet she’s worn my whole life, the small decorative bottles and the Shalimar. This reminds me of the myriad of happy days I continue to spend with her and of the profound happiness I get from photographing my family.”

“I love this green lamp photo because it was taken in a beautiful weekend home that had huge windows, perfect lighting and vast quantities of time to sleep. I spent most of that weekend with my fiancee in the sun or sleeping and I can’t remember being happier. Every photo from the weekend was calm and serene and filled with the kind of joy I was feeling. Looking at the photo reminds me of the creaminess of the walls and the clear afternoon light. It was a weekend I spent smiling a lot!”

Here’s what annie has to say about her [talking picture]: “I love this 1974 photograph of my brother John, my sister Liz, and me, posing a little awkwardly for my father. Michael, the baby, was two years old, and must have been inside with my mother. I look at this and it instantly takes me back to our house in Moorfields, County Wexford, in the south-east corner of Ireland. The house my father built. I know that the rough patch of ground to the right was the vegetable patch, where we grew the things that grew well in Ireland: potatoes of course, and rhubarb, carrots, turnips.

I remember that the white shoes I am wearing are my First Holy Communion shoes. I LOVED those shoes – when they were shiny and new on my Communion day, then reserved for Sunday best, and finally becoming everyday shoes. I am holding my beloved Sindy Doll (we didn’t have Barbie in 1970s Ireland.) Her hair is yellow frizz because I washed it with shampoo. Liz has a brunette Sindy with still-shiny hair, and she’s clearly playing dress-up as well – look at that belt! And John is gamely tooting on his horn. More than anything, the three pairs of little knees kill me, and how we’re all squinting into the sun and smiling self-consciously.

This photograph makes me glad because it reminds me that I had a happy childhood. Our family has grown in the last 35 years; Now when I spend time in Ireland with John and Liz and Michael, the next generation is running around underfoot (eight kids and another one on the way). It’s joyful and lively to be with the whole noisy crowd, But I am grateful to have photographic reminders of days long gone, when there were fewer of us, like the day we three lined up like soldiers, waiting for the click.”

here’s what jonathan as to say about his [talking pictures]: “About this time last year, I adopted my dog Pepé. Aside from completely changing my life, he’s also given me a chance to appreciate — the ground? Taking him on his daily walks has forced me to look at things from his perspective. So I took a few snaps from a recent outing. Living in suburban Southern California, we don’t really get the whole “changing colors of the season” thing, but I have been noticing certain colors calling out to me. On this particular day, I was really attracted to these random little pops of yellow along the sidewalk. I guess it could be the “sunny side of the street”. As Victoria always inspires me to remember, it’s all in how you see it!”

here’s amy rupple’s [talking picture]: “I moved from Madison, Wisconsin to Portland, Oregon in the winter of 1996. I drove the whole way… the car breaking down, almost getting trapped in a blizzard (thank goodness for State Troopers), with an old boyfriend. We were off to start a new life in the Pacific Northwest. Well, I’m still in Portland, but he didn’t last long.

Every now and again, I drive back home to Wisconsin along that same route. Devils Tower National Monument in Wyoming is my favorite stop along the way. Not only for its majestic presence, but for the lore behind it as well.

When you enter the park, you crest a long hill, and bam. There it is. That crazy mound of rock in all its glory, with a giant meadow laid out before you. On this particular day, storms were moving in and out, and I just had to see that view over the hill with the skies as turbulent as they were. I drove there from my hotel in Sundance, Wyoming, skirting hail, tornadoes and the approaching darkness of night. But as you can see from the photo, it was well worth it. You can take hundreds of photos of this place, and never get the same shot. As long as the light changes, so will the big rock.” -@my

this is anna’s [talking picture]: “This is Sylvester. When my husband and I bought our house in Newburgh, New York, he was one among a number of homeless cats living on our block. Three and a half years later, Sylvester is the only cat who remains.

I’m not sure when we decided that his name is Sylvester, but we were shocked when we discovered that our neighbors had dubbed him “Blackjack”. I’m not even sure how we came to the conclusion the he is even a “he”, but this is what he is to us. He’s always seemed like a toughie, too — we’ve seen cars have to take alternate parking spaces because Sylvester didn’t want to give up his spot in the sun.

About a year ago, I held my hand out and crouched down on the sidewalk, about 20 feet from Sly. I expected him to take off; to do that thing that stray cats do when humans come too close. To my great surprise, he came running over! I pet his head tentatively, and he responded with a rub and a purr. For months, this was our routine. Days would pass when I wouldn’t see him, and I would worry. He always reappeared eventually, though. After a couple of winters, we never saw any of the other cats again. Just Sylvester.

A few months ago, a house across the street from us became vacant and went up for auction. The previous residents had made a practice of dumping cat food on their porch, which is where I’m assuming Sylvester got most of his sustenance. With them gone, he had nothing to eat. He lost his “tough” look, and started to get skinny. His fur became dull and dirty-looking.

At the end of September, I started doing that thing that everyone always says not to do: I put food and water out for a stray cat. Sylvester didn’t hesitate for the second! He gobbled down the entire dish, then let me pick him up and give him a cuddle. How could I deny this guy a meal? How could I let him starve?

My husband is severely allergic to cats, and we have two small dogs. Bringing Sylvester indoors is not an option. Regardless, I don’t think this guy would be very happy living inside after being an outdoor cat for so long. Fortunately, we live on a one-way street with very little traffic, and Sly spends most of his time napping in the sun on our porch. There is no wildlife here to hurt him. There isn’t a feral cat population here.

Next weekend, I’m going to make an insulated shelter to go under our porch so he has a place to go when it’s freezing cold.

I think he’ll be okay.

Sometimes you just need to do what feels right in your heart, and not worry about the shoulds and shouldn’ts too much.”

[ thanks again to guest blogger anna of Door Sixteen! ]

here’s leah’s [talking picture]: “This is my best friend Ashley on her first full day visiting me in California, eating chilaquiles for the first time. Ash and I became friends through flickr, really close friends who wished they could just hang out whenever they liked. Unfortunately, the Pacific made it tough. Then one day Ash got on a plane and flew from Australia to California across that very big ocean.

The day after I took this shot, we would drive up the coast from Orange County to Monterey, and then head onward to Berkeley and San Francisco. We would have some amazing adventures. But right at this moment, we’re finally getting to just hang out. When I see this photo, I remember us sitting and enjoying, laughing and relaxing, and she’s about to tell me how I’ve ruined her for Mexican food forever. I also remember that I have a best friend who would take a big risk like flying thousands of miles to meet someone she didn’t know, stay with me for two weeks, and become the very best friend I could ever imagine having.”

here’s what liz shares about her [talking picture]: “this image is of my daughter emma, who has long dreamed of becoming an astronaut. when she was just 3 years old she announced to her father and me that she would soon be going to the moon. she shortly there after requested an astronaut costume and proceeded to wear it for the next year. this image to me is about the thrill of big dreams when you are a child, the belief that you can be anything without restrictions, without parameters. it also serves as a reminder to me to keep my dreams close. to pursue them as diligently as I did when I was a child. it is too easy to let dreams go when life pushes back on us. holding tight is harder than we imagine. I expect that in a few years down the road, I will be a passenger on my daughter’s rocket to the moon.”

here’s the story behind ash’s [talking pictures]: “This day was my baby Niece’s first birthday, her home was filled with children, noise and general chaos, as kids parties usually are. After following her and a little friend escaping up the hallway, I sat down to watch them have an animated and in depth conversation, complete with expressive hand gestures. It was like they were speaking another language only for babies, and I kind of felt like I was eavesdropping while watching them whisper to each other so seriously. It was the most adorable moment, and just as I pressed the shutter button my tiny niece pointed outside and said “bird”. One of her favorite things to do is go outside to point out birds.

The loud “click…whirrr” of my polaroid then grabbed their attention (and everyone else’s) and we were absorbed back into the party to watch the shot develop… and play pretend “pony ride”.”

here’s the story behind vivienne strauss’ [talking pictures]: “Matte and I met Irving at Cat Haven veterinary clinic on January 18th, 2008 on the unfortunate day when we had to have our 19 year old cat, Isabelle, put to sleep.  She had been very sick off and on the past year but at the end, we knew we were doing the right thing as her quality of life was gone.  Though we knew Isabelle was better off, we were both inconsolable.  Matte went back to Cat Haven later that day and came home with Irving.  Irving is a ginger colored tabby who was 8 months old at the time and had been living at the clinic since he was a tiny kitten.  Someone had dumped him on their doorstep one night with a terrible infection that caused him to lose an eye.   He got along fine with the other cats living there but never responded much to the people working there and no one adopted him because of his missing eye.  Irving made himself right at home with us and a few months later, made the move all the way across the country with us to Portland, OR.  It is hard to tell how fat he is in this photo but he is shaped a bit like Humpty Dumpty.  Though he hasn’t really replaced Isabelle, we still miss her and probably always will, he is very special to us and find his “imperfections” are what make him most endearing.”