Soaking Up Summer

Okay, this is not the photograph I expected to share when I wrote last week's blog about the scenes of summer.  This photo doesn't come close to beckoning thoughts of summer favorites like "Surfer Girl" or "Fun, Fun, Fun".  But in a back roads sort of way, it does present itself as the rural response to the summertime favorite "Summer in the City" by the Lovin Spoonful.  These porkers are getting the backs of their necks all "dirty n gritty" while enjoying a fragrant "Summer Breeze" of their own making.

What appeals to me about this photo is that it portrays a viewpoint that is not commonly associated in our typical scenes of summer pleasures.   But look again at that ruddy jowly grin and tell me you can't see satisfaction on a blistering August day.

Did you know that pigs wallow to regulate their temperature and protect themselves from sunburn? For pigs, wallowing in mud is a social behavior that encourages a sense of belonging.  Now, picture with me a crowded California beach packed with beautiful sun tanned bodies who are picnicing while trying to escape the summer's heat.  Urban mimics rural!

While photography is a way to express a point of view, our personal viewpoint may not be exclusive or even the one that resonates with the viewer.  Once a photo is shared,  it takes on a story of its own creation within the viewer's mind.  Sometimes photography can be used to share an alternative view that is not readily noticed even within a similar context --- yes, like the literary children's classic, Charlotte's Web.    

Here Comes Summer Series #2