At the time of writing this, the start of the school year is only two days away, and the busy season about to begin.


My daughter and I share our work-and-play space, my computer and her toys occupying the same room. It was meant as a temporary arrangement we set up last summer while my office was being renovated. Today, the new flooring still sits uninstalled in boxes, the room resting at the bottom of our priority list as I try to figure out how it can best be used.


I thought my daughter would enjoy spending time so close together, but she has asked more than once when I will finally move out of her playroom. At this point, I’m not sure if that will happen anytime soon, much to her disappointment.


Yet being so close has provided an unexpected opportunity: watching her play while I work, her largely ignoring my presence. Her imaginative play has grown increasingly complex, touching on themes of good and bad, family life, and death. She’s at an age where she still speaks everything she thinks out loud rather than internally, like a play being performed in real time.


At the start of the summer, she left a group of her Barbies sitting on the playroom windowsill. Each day I entered the room expecting them to have been relocated, but there they remained, frozen where she had last placed them before moving on.


Studying them, I reached for my camera, not sure what I would do with the image, if I would do anything at all. It sat on my hard drive for several days.


Then, another arrangement captured my attention, a lonely scene of a chair with a candle in the attic of her dollhouse.


Slowly, a project began to emerge.


I started photographing her toys as I encountered them. First in black and white, and then in color and blurred abstraction. The more images I took, the more I realized that I was taking photos of two childhoods. Hers as it exists now, fluid, vibrant, and alive, and my own, the black and white feeling more distant, observational, and removed.


The images exist in pairs, sitting in conversation with each other. Her childhood unfolding in real time while mine receded further into memory.


The photographs document what is left once imagination has left the room.


The Remains of Play.

Three vintage dolls sitting on a windowsill in sepia tone, framed by curtains with soft natural light.
Blurred bokeh background with golden glittering lights and red berries, perfect for festive Christmas holiday designs.
Black and white photo of a chair and lit candle on a table, viewed through a blurred foreground frame.
Abstract bokeh photography featuring soft teal background with warm red and white circular light orbs in artistic blur.
Blurred abstract image with warm brown and teal tones, soft focus background with horizontal layers.
A miniature dollhouse bed with knitted blanket displayed against a dark floral curtain backdrop.
Vintage sepia-toned sewing supplies on a wooden surface beside a wicker basket, including thread, pins, and buttons.
Blurry bokeh hearts in red and pink tones with soft glowing light creating a dreamy romantic abstract background.
Black and white photo of a cozy living room with toy figures on a wooden coffee table and a gray sofa in background.
Abstract blurred pastel colors including soft pink, mint green, and golden yellow creating a dreamy, out-of-focus background.

The Remains of Play




A favorite toy my daughter loves

Perched upon a makeshift tower.


The dangling tag,

The marker of her possession.


The remains of play sit next to me,

Remnants of the morning routine.


A statue honoring what has passed

And what has been forgotten.




—LC

Close-up black and white photo of two pencils with erasers and a marker arranged together on a textured surface.
Blurred colorful book spines arranged on a shelf, featuring shades of blue, red, pink, and gray.
Black and white photo of a teddy bear sitting on a miniature shingled rooftop with small chairs in the background.
Abstract blurred artwork featuring soft pastel tones of purple, teal, gold, and pink in a dreamy, out-of-focus composition.
Blurry monochrome photo of a teddy bear sitting alone in a dimly lit corner chair near a window.
Soft bokeh photography featuring warm golden and cream circular light orbs against a blurred purple-gray background.
Black and white photo of glittery high heel shoes next to a computer keyboard on a wooden desk.
Abstract blurred bokeh lights in purple, blue, and orange tones creating a dreamy, defocused artistic background.
Vintage sepia-toned children's bedroom with white bookshelf, dresser, and scattered toys on a floral carpet.
Soft bokeh abstract background with golden light orbs and blurred blue and pink pastel tones.
Black and white photo of a dimly lit room with small objects on the floor, viewed through a doorway.
Soft bokeh background with warm golden and peach tones, blurred circular light orbs creating dreamy abstract texture.