Family!

It has been a while since I have written in my blog.  My attention has been on work and moving through grief brought on by the death of my brother in October.  The photography has been therapeutic and healing.  As always I am constantly reminded of the value and power of photography in our lives.

The other day I delivered a large print to a friend who is the executive director  of an adult day facility.  The image was of her two dogs and herself in a field.  Her dogs often visit the facility and provide love and comfort to  the clients.  The image was a gift to the center and those who use it.  My friend showed the picture to about 25 clients when I was there.  There was applause, laughter, expressions and delight as they saw the image and realized it would be hung in the center.  I was introduced to the audience and soaked up the compliments as the dogs went begging for ear scratches.   I was surprised at the reaction.  The dogs and their owner are loved and respected by the staff and clients. The image of the three of them made everyone happy.

 

As many people do these days my brother’s family decided to put together a DVD of photos from my brother’s life.Finding the images and putting it all together was a great distraction as well as a trip down memory lane.  In the end we found over a hundred images that we put together with music.  Many of those who came to visiting hours sat down and watched the slide show over and over.  Most of the family found it comforting and used the images to tell our favorite stories about Kevin.

As a photographer I was fascinated by a series of family photos taken as my sister,brother, and I were growing up. My Mother loved recording family events so there were plenty of candid family shots or shots of the family against the mantlepiece.  This series was more formal.  They were black and white and well lit and still in remarkable condition. There was a formality in the posing and clothing.  Most were shot in the living room with my Mother sitting in the chair and the rest of us standing around her.  Behind us were bookcases and windows. They ranged from the family before I was born to the whole family just before my brother left for college.  Clearly they were taken by a professional.  My Dad did public relations for a resort in the Adirondacks so  I am sure he had access to several photographers in the area.

Carroll Family 1953 or so

The images present a wonderful look at the dress and culture of the 50′s and 60′s.  The formality reflects the traditional family that I was  raised in but also somehow the connections we had.    These images more than the many candids and informal groupings speak to me.   I wonder if some of these early portrait sessions left an impression on me as a young child.  An impression that led me to a life of photographing other families and recording their lives.    Oddly enough though I certainly recorded my son’s life in pictures…we have no formal family shots of the three of us except for a few self timer shots I did in the studio.  Not quite the same.

These images provided the opportunity for younger members of our extended family to chuckle about their aunt and uncle and grandparents. My sister and I marveled at how young we were and how beautiful our Mother was.  We even conceded that our brother was kind of cute as a kid.  Of course I was cuter.   The hard thing was to realize that we are the only two left from that little family.   These images remind me of those no longer with us but also of those who loved me and raised me during that all too brief period of childhood.  

Advertisement