Photo Therapy

RosePetals

I recently returned from the fun and pleasure of a family event in London - the wedding of our son to his beautiful wife. 

Part of the preparation involved getting together a selection of old photos for a slide show of the bride and groom 
through their years.  So many photos to go through. With a sulky printer too stubborn to bother scanning.  Taking the 
iPhone in hand I began the process of carefully shooting each photo, sending them in email batches to my son.
What seemed daunting and overwhelming at first soon gave way to a free-fall down the twists and turns of memory lane. 
Through the many moves and life events along the way it was reassuring to settle into the pleasure of looking back, 
seeing babies become young men while we as adults are subtly/shockingly surprised to find that somewhere along the line 
we have also changed i.e. become older.  The years fall away as we sift through the photos and we fall entranced to the 
power of sweet memory.  Heartstrings are pulled. We remember the love we still have for the missing in our lives and 
happily forget about the broken down cars, the rainy summer holidays, pimples, scowls and so much more.

The photos I take now are so very different.  Or are they?

The subject matter has definitely changed not only as the boys have grown older but moving away from them, from London 
to New York, seriously changed the landscape for me. There were only so many photos I could take of tall buildings, 
spring flowers and ducks in Central Park. I was alone in New York City.  Alone amongst millions of crazy, fascinating 
people who called themselves New Yorkers. And with that slow dawn the camera, now so bruised and battered, became my 
inseparable companion.  For better and worse.

I didn't take it to the wedding.  And that was OK.  I had my iPhone for the occasional shot.

I also knew, after the wedding, it was back to the streets of NY where I have all the time to walk and wander with 
the camera. And that's OK too.

We move on, making memories and grateful for companionship along the way.  Looking back now and then we see how far we 
have come.

That photos - the good, the bad and the ugly, along with a camera, any old camera, could do so much.
Category : Black and White, London, New York
Tags : , , ,