Photography saves lives
By Darla Smedley
8 Sep 2009
We photographers, we'll shoot anything. Landscapes, wildlife, cool looking objects, and strangers! We will get into unimaginable places and positions, wait for hours for the light, and spend thousands of dollars on equipment to make us better (we think) at our craft. The one thing we don't do as a rule, is get in front of the camera. In fact, I would say that most of us do our best to avoid what we expect others to do; put their image on film or digital for all to see, examine, and comment on. I remember talking to my Nonna (she was 98 at the time) and asking her questions about family and hungering for pictures, hoping that the past would help explain me, my history and my future. There were a few old wrinkled photos, but not many, not enough to satisfy my curiosity. So I set my sites on taking pictures of everything, friends, relatives, my husband, my daughter, pets, our houses, and cars. I made photo books for everyone while on vacation with them. I made photo books for people who had passed on and sent the books to their widows, daughters, and sons hoping it would comfort their grief and their feeling of loss. And then the unimaginable happen. My husband of almost 30 years suddenly and unexpectedly passed away last month. As I planned his memorial I began to go through the thousands of photos, not only digital, but film pictures, that had been stored away and forgotten. Always meant to organize them. What I found was pictures of Rob with everyone...but me. Oh, there are a few random pictures that I got caught in and hammed it up. And of course, there are the few photos that were forced by friends with point and shoots because we were "a cute couple." And I have my wedding pictures. But overall my life with this man, someone who I had spent over half of my life, had flown by with very few "together" shots. I have pictures of where we traveled and who we traveled with. I took pictures of planes, trains, boats, kayaks, dinghies, and bikes. I have pictures of beer bottles, menus, restaurants, and street signs. But with all the wonderful travel experiences close and far from home, I was behind the camera, making the memories and forgetting that I was an important part of those memories. I am grateful that I have many pictures of my husband and will cherish those forever. I will now be sure that I am in as many pictures with as many friends, relatives, coworkers, (and strangers) as possible. I will save my life in digital so that my daughter, friends, and family will not only have the memories that their minds can recall, but evidence that someone special was in their lives and loved them enough to sustain those memories through photography.
1 response
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anne wallace said (8 Sep 2009):
As a shy kid, I picked up a camera years ago partly to avoid being in photos snapped by relatives.
Thanks for the touching reminder to sometimes step in front of the lens to be within the frame.
May the joys of photography, the love of friends, and the comfort of fond memories give you strength.
Peace, prayers, and blessings.
