So, I got this idea the other day. I was thinking that it’s been a while since I’ve done a book, even a little Blurb style book. These days, you can do a Blurb book with as few as 20 images or so. They don’t have to be big, giant tomes, although they can be. A smaller book can be intimate and enjoyable. I don’t know, there’s something magical and kind of special about holding a really nicely crafted small book. I rather like them. I was thinking about my work from China. At first, I didn’t think I had enough images for a book. I mean, it just felt too small in some way. Lately, I’ve been in this sort of cocoon style mode, where I’m sifting through the old archives, pulling out the hidden gems. I’ve really been going throwback, a lot of older stuff here but it’s good. It’s all good. I like the older stuff. I’ve been a shooter a long time and some of my older stuff really holds up in some way.
Together we have the situation. I’ve got a lot of older stuff, been thinking about doing a book, had some work from China, might be enough for a book. You know, I should try to pull it together maybe, just to see what I can come up with, right? I thought that might be a good idea.
Then, I got to thinking some more. What would I call the book? Since I visited Guilin mostly, I thought about Guilin. The original saying about Guilin goes like this, “Guilin’s scenery is the most beautiful under heaven.” It’s sounds a little clunky and I’m the first to admit it’s much more lovely when spoken in traditional Mandarin but, there you have it. That’s the phrase, right? That’s what I have to use right there. I started tossing it around, thinking about it some more, stripping out, putting back, just playing.
I think I’ve finally settled on “Beautiful Under Heaven.” I like those three words. It’s a bit poetic. It’s easy to say. It’s hinting but you’re not quite sure exactly what is beautiful under heaven. It speaks to our daily existence with a nod towards something larger. It’s simple and I think I like it. So, for now, we go with that.
Beautiful Under Heaven is a nice title. I think I like it. I’ll stick with that until something better comes along. Now comes the hard part. I have to make a book fitting of such a title!
Wish me luck with that last bit there.
Until next time….
