What do you want for Christmas? Some new gear perhaps …a new camera body? may be a new lens? conceivably something all-together different! I think about gear all the time, not just at Christmas, but gear is not what this post is all about. No.
These are my experiences shooting my family mostly, but also about stuff around the house early in the morning, usually when my family are still asleep! But more than anything else, it is about memories and creating them for your family.
Why you may ask, well some of you may ask…my reason is that as I’ve become older and my children have grown-up, gone to university and are now leaving home, the memories, are not just for myself and my wife, but also for our children and when the time comes – their children. We are all different, and where as some people may not care so much for this, others do and I belong to the latter group.
As time passes us by, we change and stuff that was not important to us, does become so as we age, I certainly feel it, perhaps it’s the feeling that I’m not immortal anymore, or at least I thought so in my youth…and not that I’m old, certainly not! But age brings a certain amount of wisdom and life experiences broaden one’s mind, things I had no idea about years ago, youth cannot provide these things, only time can.
We also learn from those around us, in this instance, I’ll mention my dad, who I have referred to in earlier posts. It is the recollection of having watched him taking photos and creating images – memories, which we have, which have also shaped my thinking. I can remember him getting me (too young to think about why at the time) to take up some corny poses, which he found amusing, which when I saw them, I didn’t think so. But now, years later, I look at them and smile – and no, you’re not going to see them!
Images of people back home in far away India, left behind us so long ago, of trips back at Christmas time to loved ones, family we saw so little of but have the memories and images of the time spent there when I was young. And years later, I have done the same – taken my own family back home to see loved ones. Many of those people are long gone now, but the images and memories remain. This is the power of photography, and coupled with your own experiences along with the images you have taken…well do I need to say more?
Some where there are images of the Christmas turkey that went disastrously wrong – somehow (and please don’t ask how, as I don’t have an answer for you) I roasted it upside down! Yes, even the turkeys that went wrong were photographed! What can I say…the good, the bad and the ugly, it all gets photographed. You’re recording events, never to be repeated, be they memorable for a whole different variety of reasons. We mostly associate Christmas as a joyous time and most one the ones I have celebrated have been, but there have been a couple, and I’m sure it’s true for many, that there have been times of stress and sorrow. I have captured those too, out of respect for those concerned, I choose not to share the images associated with those events.
This Christmas brings another chapter and I wonder if it will present new opportunities, stuff I haven’t thought about – some good surprises perhaps? New ideas? I don’t know, but I’ll be ready, my camera is never far from my hand and my mind is always “looking” for the next image…although my family doesn’t share my enthusiasm for photography!!
Are the images show or gallery worthy, no, not at all – they don’t need to be. However, they are special and often priceless, something to hand down or look back on with fond memories of days long past.
The years seems to fly by and this one in particular went by astonishingly quickly, it wasn’t a bad one either! I finally got down to Port Dover to shoot Friday 13th – I had to wait a few years for that event, but it was well worth the wait.
As another year beckons, it’s time to end this post, but before I go…I bid you, Merry Christmas.