The Camera and the Kid | Why Prints

I recently found this print and got really attached to it. It is now on my desk. My dad, his camera, and me… being me. It really should get a frame as it is warping a bit but something about it I just love.

This must have been on a family outing to the zoo or something. I just love the combination of me doing whatever I am doing and his expression towards me that really shows his love and support for me, even when I am being. I found some more treasures with me in this outfit so stay tuned.

That camera around his neck is present in many photos that I have. From holiday gatherings with family or moments like this. He loved this camera and loved prints of family and friends. It was his way of showing what mattered to him.

He had bookshelves with framed prints on them, photo albums, and boxes of loose prints. Many were captured by him. I don’t necessarily remember the camera being out and about all the time growing up but maybe because it was always out and I grew accustomed to it.

As a kid you see your parents documenting life and enjoy it, then tolerate it. Even when you are in the salty teenage years it is part of that life, that legacy. I don’t want that to be only held by some digital brick of data that could corrupt. The kid inside me misses the analog days. The adult in me likes the instant gratification of the now/digital generation. What will your kids have of you when the get older? I hope it’s more than just blocks of data and a computer.

I have a goal to use this camera more and to make more portraits with it. To please my inner child and bring those memories back.

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This is part of an ongoing series called: Why Prints