The saying 'a photograph is worth a thousand words' is quite the timeless adage that encapsulates the ineffable power of visual storytelling. For Model and Photographer George Midgley, a photograph was precisely that, inspiring her latest adventure around America to be encapsulated forever into her photography book Postcards Home.
For Midgley, the goal was to craft something concrete – a memory, an emotion; an object to reflect upon, possess, cherish, and grasp. While words may falter or struggle to convey the depth of a moment, a photograph captures the essence of that moment in its entirety. It speaks to our shared humanity, offering glimpses into others' lives. This is why Midgley wanted to transform her experiences into a shared narrative, inviting us to step into her world—an indulgence for the eyes to experience the calmness of being present, through her photography. As she describes it, photography is "a beautiful way to archive life, to capture, to hold and look back on. It's a time capsule."
When Midgley is not exploring America, she can often be found immersed in a novel or drawing inspiration from photography books such as The Minox Files by Mark van den Brink. Below, we speak with George Midgley on her inspiration for Postcards Home and whether the possibility of making another collection of postcards is in the making.
My main inspiration for the Postcards Home book would have been...
The inspiration for Postcards Home came about creating something tangible, a memory, a feeling; something to look back on, to have, to appreciate and to hold. I love postcards and have collected, sent and received many over the years. While selecting photos for my website ( stleonn.com ) and looking through my archive of photos I had taken over the years of living away I felt a deep sense of nostalgia for the beautiful memories and wanted to make it a shared experience rather than a solitary one.
This selection of photos seemed perfect as a postcards series that could be bound and presented as a book. The idea became a project and as it progressed it morphed into a love letter to living abroad in America. New York is such a transient city: you make forever friendships, have adventures, and then poof! Everyone moves on. Postcards Home is a love letter to loved ones across oceans and to the beautiful experiences shared along the way. Every photo tells a story and reflects back the emotions in which I took them. The book is a tribute to staying connected to others and self.
My most memorable photograph from the book is...
It’s definitely hard to pick one because they all hold a space in my heart that inevitably brings me back to that time and place they were taken. But if I had to pick one, it would be the third photo - the one with the carved rock and pink trainers perfectly placed within the rock. I took the photo at Pier 36 Rockaway Beach. What is so special to me about this is photo is the context in which it was taken. As the salty mist of the afternoon rolled in, we were settling in to watch the sunset after a big day of surfing. A beautiful young women stepped onto the beach, took off her pink trainers and placed them perfectly in the rock wall cavity. She then walked closer to the shore to find herself a rock to sit on and stared out at the horizon, her t-shirt printed with the word ‘explorer’. She had such a calm presence like this was her time, her time to appreciate and wash off the day and connect with the ocean.
Having grown up by the ocean this resonated with me. Rockaway beach is special, it’s not in your face, there is no glitz or glamour of beach culture. It is gritty on the outside and pure on the inside, so close to New York City yet when you’re there you feel so far away. It is one of the only places in the world you can see the sunset and sunrise in the same place and that to me is a part of its mystical allure, it’s not beautiful on face value but the deeper you look you find beauty everywhere like this women’s private moment with the sunset and ocean.
The story my book tells is …
The places we find ourselves in life, the pursuit of adventure and the calmness of being present within it.
Sharing your experiences and stories with your loved ones.
If I were to embark on another postcard adventure….
I have been working on a second collection of postcards of photos taken while traveling in Morocco and Patagonia but would love to experience the beauty of Egypt. I think it would be a quite interesting pairing these places together. In saying that the photos I take are less about the place and more about a feeling they resonate within that space.
The camera I chose to photograph this book with was…
It was a combination of point and shoots; the Olympus Muji 2, Contax T2 and a Yashica Samurai half frame. I think the beauty of these moments is that they are not staged they are taken in a glimpse of a moment as I am experiencing them in real time. I always have a point and shoot in my bag as they are small, and I can be ready when something grabs my eye.
If I could describe this book with three emotions, they would be…
Coming of age, stillness, nostalgia
On my bedside table: I am currently reading …
Perfume by Patrick Suskind. It kept on coming up in conversation and then I kept on seeing people reading it and thought this is a sign, so I bought it yesterday and so far I am devouring it.
Photography to me is…
A lens in which you can express the way you see the world. But on a deeper level it’s a beautiful way to archive life, to capture, to hold and look back on. As we grow older it’s beautiful to see the evolution of one’s eye, what your drawn to and the emotions the convey. Photography is a time capsule.
My favourite book of all time …
This is such a hard question. It’s like asking ‘what’s your favorite movie, there are just so many choices and I am a tad indecisive at times. However, one of the books that has stuck with me is Rebecca Solnit’s ‘Faraway Nearby’. The way she weaves her words in and out through different ideas is fluid like water, a pleasure for the eyes to digest.
The book on my bedside table right now is…
Anne Carsons ‘Eros the Bittersweet’ and Stephanie LaCava ‘The Superrationals’ both must reads!
A photography book everyone should experience …
The Minox Files by Mark van den Brink. This book is voyeuristic but yet you find yourself immersed in the space of each image. He took photos traveling around Switzerland, Europe and America with a little spy cam. Each photo is like a painting, it melts your eyes and exudes a calmness beauty. I found this book at the MoMA store a few years ago and constantly find myself flicking through the photos at home regularly.
