My mother passed away at the end of April this year, after a long bout with breast cancer.
When I was looking through photos for the funeral slideshow, I came to the grim realization that I never really took many pictures of my mother or family in the past ten years. When I would go home to visit I would throw my camera in the corner, if I took it with me at all. At the time, I saw my vacations as a vacation from my camera. I regret it now, esp. since my mother was the only one that really believed in me turning my photography into a career. Now I have tons of photos of complete strangers and just a handful of photos of my family that I have taken.
I guess the reason I'm writing all this is because I want to tell you all that you should take pictures of your friends and family every chance you get. You never know when the chance will be gone.
The picture above is of my mother and my niece at the family cabin in Big Bear, Calif.
8.19.2007
I Miss You Mom.
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2 comments:
Andrew,
Pictures are the evidence of witness. Our career requires us to be in places people go but also those places they will not, can not or just don't care to go. You're training allows you to slip and out of their lives, only seeing them again in the pictures that you take. Most of them thankful that you could be there and record an event or moment that they never could have captured, or did they?
Yes they did, with the minds eye we record what is most important to us, no camera neccessary. I'm telling you the obvious because I just want to remind you that you didn't take a lot of photos of your family because you were LIVING those moments and they can never be deleted by a corupt card or exposed film.
A lot of time I think about how I use the camera as a device to seperate myself from the subject or event. As if it's all just a game and I'm not really there. This mindset applied to those few moments I spend with my family would suck, with or without pictures to show for it.
I don't know, you're a good person with flaws just like the rest of us. And your Mother was probably extremely proud of the man she created, a successful and visually creative young lad.
Ahh...that's all, now do me a favor and come back from your trip. And forget what I said above and shot the bejesus out of it. :)
Your friend,
Philip
Thanks Phil. I needed that.
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