An Eye For Beauty

Pepper tried to come up with a present for Cindy, and since the Big Thing they shared was going out to take photos, she wanted it to be a photo.

But it had to be special.

She knew her and Cindy’s styles were different. Looking at the results from their last outing confirmed it.

Their outing to the abandoned farm, Pepper had selected the smallest number of photos she needed to show the placement of all buildings in relation with each other. Cindy had a part of a weathered timber wall, grazing light bringing out the texture; a line of fenceposts snaking through overgrown fields; a backlit vine leaf, the serrated, fuzzy edge a bright line against shadowed backdrop.

Part of why Pepper liked her was that Cindy did not criticise Pepper’s work. She could see herself it could stand to improve, and this would be an opportunity.

Cindy seemed to be able to see an interesting angle in so many things....

Pacing her living room, Pepper considered couch cushions and cabinet doors, before considering her neglected potted plants. Then she went to work.

“Oh, that’s beautiful!” Cindy’s eyes lit up at the big format print. The square picture was divided in subtly textured areas of cream and tan. Pepper had picked it from several hundred attempts to get something interesting from an orchid whose white blooms had wilted and dried on the stem to rustling parchment.

“You’re a great inspiration.”

Knowing she had succeeded was awesome, but Cindy’s enthusiastic hug was even better.