I recently had found myself pondering the power of photography, and of photographs, in our personal lives.
I’m not talking here about the iconic images you see of major news events, like Eisenstaedt’s shot of the sailor and the nurse kissing in Times Square on V-J day, or the frame that captured one of the aircraft headed for the World Trade Center on 9/11.
Neither am I talking about those photos of strangers that seem to offer a glimpse into the human soul, like Dorothea Lange’s “Migrant Mother.”
I’m talking about pictures of the people around you: your friends, family and other loved ones. And I’m talking about pictures of you.
You see, my father passed away earlier this year after a battle with cancer. I flew back to be with my family, to help with arrangements and to attend his memorial. The days leading up to the funeral were hectic to say the least; I’m grateful for the assistance provided by the wonderful and tremendously helpful folks from hospice and from the funeral home. Even with all their help, however, it was a very busy time, especially for my mother.
So what struck me about this process? How much time my family and I spent… looking at photographs. Looking at, reviewing, and arranging photographs, and building several poster board collages we displayed at the memorial review.
I knew we had quite a few slides that catalogued our family experiences as my siblings and I grew up and explored our world, but I was a little overwhelmed by the sheer volume of images we had that I didn’t even know existed… Hundreds, perhaps over a thousand, slides and prints. Images of my father, my mother, their relatives and friends, how they grew up and explored their world. Prints that showed my Dad as a kid in south Minneapolis, in his Marine Corps recruit platoon, and shipping out to Korea during the war. A record of his life. A record, in the beginning, intertwined with that of his parents, relatives and friends. Later, a record intertwined with that of his children, nieces and nephews, and their friends. As a photographer, it struck a chord in me.
So I want to say a couple of things about the power of a photograph; not pictures that are going to win a Pulitzer, but the pictures of you and the people that have surrounded you throughout your life.
First of all, photographs provide a “trace” of our existence. Those we love, and those who love us, will never forget; but a photographic record reinforces those memories and provides a great emotional resource once we’re gone.
This next point applies to everyone, but it especially applies to my fellow photographers out there. It is very important that we have GOOD photos of those we love, in groups of two or more. Individual formal portraits are great, but the pictures that really hit me were the ones of my Dad with his friends and relations. The pictures that show those social interactions emphasize how many lives he touched, and how privileged we were to know him. So, photographers: make those pictures! I know how people can get annoyed by having their picture taken again and again at those family events; do it anyway. They’ll thank you later. Also, photographers: give that camera to someone else every now and then, and make sure YOU appear in some of those pictures. Seriously.
So take those pictures. Take those old slides and negatives you have, and get them scanned. Catalog them in whatever way makes the most sense to you, but keep the memories… It’s important.
See more of my photography at
http://lokahiphoto.com.
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