Today my dad turns 70...where has the time gone? I recall his 33rd...I recall his 40th and not too long ago, I was part of a conversation with him and my mother in law about their 70th birthdays and what they might do, but that they had two years to plan and think about it. Two years is over, it's gone. Time flies, quite literally, even if you're not having any fun.
So I think what I'm trying to convince myself of is this, to take my time, to enjoy the little things, to drink in every moment. Someday, those small moments will be distant memories. They will be the things you remember about people you love and yourself. I still vividly recall my father's 40th birthday party. It was also the year I turned 16. I remember my aunt's backyard decorated, I remember loads of people. I remember me and my best friend stealing beers from the ice buckets to take out front and drink with friends. But most of all, I remember the DJ playing 16 Candles and dancing to it with Dad. I remember being embarrassed both to dance in front of people, after all I was about to be 16 and far too cool for dances with my dad. But also I remember being afraid to show my dad I loved him. I remember just wanting to get it over with so I could go back to my friends. Today, when I think about that night, I think I should have and could have enjoyed it more.
My dad has Parkinson's so things like slow dances with his daughter are no longer possible.He has trouble even typing an email, and living 7000 miles away, I find that I miss the little things. I miss having a sandwich with him at the deli, and I miss sitting in the backyard, having an iced tea and talking about life.
Where the hell am I going with this? What has this got to do with photography and improving my skills? It's this...life is made up of small moments, of fleeting seconds. Every one of these increments of time is a chance to create a memory. To ingrain in our hearts and minds the textures, the smells, the emotions of life. Photographs, for me, are a chance to freeze these memories in time. They're a chance to put a visual with the mental picture. I don't have many regrets in my life except for the photographs I didn't take, the pictures I didn't value enough to handle with care, and the snapshots that I've lost along the way. You can replace almost anything in this world except the people you love. So from now on, a word to the wise, treat every photograph of your loved ones as if they were the most precious, valuable and expensive items you will ever own. Because they are.
This is why I call my photography project Captured Soul...it's a chance with every click of the shutter button to capture the heart of a moment as it pertains to me and my emotions.
I've posted this already today, I posted it on Father's Day as well...but here I post it again. It's a photo I took of my dad on a day trip in 2010. We were walking along and he said "take a picture of your old man, I'm not gonna be around forever you know. You might want a photo of me someday."
Dad's still here, alive and kicking...but he's right, and this photo is one of my most precious possessions. It's not a good photo, not a skilled photo. Who cares?
Happy Birthday Dad...
So I think what I'm trying to convince myself of is this, to take my time, to enjoy the little things, to drink in every moment. Someday, those small moments will be distant memories. They will be the things you remember about people you love and yourself. I still vividly recall my father's 40th birthday party. It was also the year I turned 16. I remember my aunt's backyard decorated, I remember loads of people. I remember me and my best friend stealing beers from the ice buckets to take out front and drink with friends. But most of all, I remember the DJ playing 16 Candles and dancing to it with Dad. I remember being embarrassed both to dance in front of people, after all I was about to be 16 and far too cool for dances with my dad. But also I remember being afraid to show my dad I loved him. I remember just wanting to get it over with so I could go back to my friends. Today, when I think about that night, I think I should have and could have enjoyed it more.
My dad has Parkinson's so things like slow dances with his daughter are no longer possible.He has trouble even typing an email, and living 7000 miles away, I find that I miss the little things. I miss having a sandwich with him at the deli, and I miss sitting in the backyard, having an iced tea and talking about life.
Where the hell am I going with this? What has this got to do with photography and improving my skills? It's this...life is made up of small moments, of fleeting seconds. Every one of these increments of time is a chance to create a memory. To ingrain in our hearts and minds the textures, the smells, the emotions of life. Photographs, for me, are a chance to freeze these memories in time. They're a chance to put a visual with the mental picture. I don't have many regrets in my life except for the photographs I didn't take, the pictures I didn't value enough to handle with care, and the snapshots that I've lost along the way. You can replace almost anything in this world except the people you love. So from now on, a word to the wise, treat every photograph of your loved ones as if they were the most precious, valuable and expensive items you will ever own. Because they are.
This is why I call my photography project Captured Soul...it's a chance with every click of the shutter button to capture the heart of a moment as it pertains to me and my emotions.
I've posted this already today, I posted it on Father's Day as well...but here I post it again. It's a photo I took of my dad on a day trip in 2010. We were walking along and he said "take a picture of your old man, I'm not gonna be around forever you know. You might want a photo of me someday."
Dad's still here, alive and kicking...but he's right, and this photo is one of my most precious possessions. It's not a good photo, not a skilled photo. Who cares?
Happy Birthday Dad...
This is an absolutely beautiful blog. My Dad also had Parkinsons. Add Diabetes to the mix and it's not a good thing. I treasure every photograph I have of him and of my Mom also. As the photographer in the family, I finally realized that there will be very few photos of ME! So, now I take the time to be photographed as well as everyone else. I want my kids to have plenty of memories of me, like I have of my Dad.
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