"Life In Motion" by Nicole Lamy
Medium Prompt

Pictures may be important to Lamy in remembering her life. They are not, however, important to her essay. Just by looking at the first house she lived in, I am not able to understand her time spent there. If she had not explained - in words - her experiences at her first house, I would not know anything about that house. For example, just by looking at the picture, I cannot tell that the entire house smelled of other's weed, or that her neighbor had a pet duck. Yet through her essay, I am able to get a grasp of what her life was like growing up in the several different houses she lived in.

The information that is presented under Bill Bamberger's photos is extremely important tot he message he is trying to get across. Take for example the photo entitled Ada Bennett and daughter Faith, San Antonio, 2002. By looking at the picture, I notice her nice jewelry and her slight smile. By looking at her face, she looks content. By looking at her clothing and accessories, she looks well off. However, the information under the picture explains that the house she sits in front of is actually a shelter for homeless mothers. Based on the provided information, the woman is obviously not well off. I would not be able to get that out of the picture simply by looking at it.

A place I consider home would be at a concert. While I am at my actual house, I feel pressured to get all my homework done in time and get good grades in class. I feel pressured to get into a good college and make my parents proud. Therefore, it is when I am at a concert that I feel more at home. Music is my biggest passion, so the fact that I get to see it live is already great. Yet the people I meet at shows also make me extremely comfortable. The people there are like me. Music is their biggest passion, and a majority of the time, they are all the same age as me. They are going through the same things I am going through, and so talking to them makes me feel as though I fit in. It makes me feel as though I do not have to try to impress them. Because of this, concerts are what I consider my real home. I think, in this case, images would better explain my definition of home. Photos of the crowds that come out to the shows and how excited they look explains it more than words could ever.