In case you haven't heard, May is NATIONAL PHOTOGRAPHY MONTH, and we're celebrating with photography ideas and fun all month long here in our blog, in our eZine, and even with the release of a new book from Rebecca Cooper, Real.Life.Photography.

And on that note, I have found the coolest photography site ever! And I just had to share it with you. It's called Dear Photograph.

The Concept
The idea behind Dear Photograph is simple: hold up a photo from the past in front of the place where it was originally shot, then take a picture of the picture, adding a dedication about what the photograph means to you. The results, however, are astounding. By turns nostalgic, charming, and poignant, Dear Photograph is a stunning visual compilation that evokes childhood memories, laments difficult losses, and above all, celebrates the universal nature of love.

If the concept looks familiar, it seems to have inspired a popular television ad for Chevrolet, as was pointed out in an article from AdWeek.

 

About the creator of Dear Photograph:
Taylor Jones, at just 22 years of age, was inspired to start his website Dear Photograph as he flipped through old family photos at his parents' kitchen table. When he came across an image of his brother sitting at that very same table, he lifted it up and snapped a picture of the picture. In a moment, the idea for DearPhotograph.com was born. After taking more photographs, Jones posted them on a website and asked people to submit their own renditions -- but he had no idea how overwhelming of a response he would get. In just six short weeks, millions of people had visited, hundreds had submitted, and Jones had created an internet phenomenon that captured the world's attention.

Are you in?

To play along, post your own, Dear Photograph, on your blog or any hosting service (Flickr, etc.) then link it back to this post.

We are *hosting the challenge here on our blog until the end of May. And check back because we will be posting our own Dear Photographs throughout the rest of the month from members of the Ella Publishing staff and the Ella Friends team.

*All participants will be entered into a random drawing to win a copy of the book, Dear Photograph, and some other surprise goodies, too.

Oh, and you can listen to an interview with the author here.

The winner of a copy of the book is Kym Tsukamoto- thanks everyone!