Photographs – Among Family

Seeing is a lot of what photography is about – seeing the shot to be taken and recognizing what was seen in the photo produced. Like you, my first recognition of what was seen in a picture probably happened with family. It was likely an extraordinary thing the first time it occurred to find the embodiment of mom, dad, sister, or brother within an image small enough to be held in your hand. My mom had a large photo album with huge black pages in which photo holders held photographs. You could pull the photo from the page, look at it and return it to the album.

In her photo album, I would meet her parents (my much younger grandparents), her two brothers and my mom as a child. Mom had a dog. She and her brothers rode sleds in winter. She lived in a two-story house and had grown up in the thirties, forties and fifties of the previous century. I could ask her about these photos. Each picture became a seed for exploring family narratives. The image prompted the question. Mom would tell the story.

Dad was our family’s photographer. He photographed us with a Canon Single Lens Reflex camera. He had photographed us with a Canon FD-1 and later retired it for use with a Canon AE-1. While his photographs could be made into prints, most were presented as slides on a projector. The presentation of Dad’s photo was a family event. A Saturday evening would often be spent with family in our living room, viewing a slide show. These images were us (Mom, Dad, my two brothers and me) in our doings, at home, on vacation and during significant events. Another extraordinary kind of seeing was involved. A roll of film might take two weeks to be developed. In our Saturday evening slideshows, the images provided a look not only at our recent doings but a current look at the persons we least see each day – ourselves. The slideshow allowed a glimpse of who we were in ways others know and see us, but not always the person we aspire to be or hope to become.  The narrative considered within a slideshow, while having been in the recent past, involved all of us and was more current than a past-tense entity. Dad’s effort was twofold – a willingness and readiness to capture a poignant moment; and an attempt to compose the image to expose us (his family) at our best. These images were Dad’s seeing of us.

Our family narrative was contained within those slides. Our unwrapping of a Christmas present could become fodder for a photograph. Vacations always captured our doings in photos. On the way to Church, a picture could be taken. At Church camp, many memorable moments were collected by way of photographs. Our Saturday evening slideshows held the treasure of Mom and Dad revealing to us where they had been in their travels – England (often), Spain (Costa del Sol), France (Monet’s home, Arles and rows of Lavender), Tokyo (temples, Mount Fuji, gardens, Geisha kimonos).

Especially at a distance, photographs of our extended family allowed us to ask questions and gather their narrative to understand who they were and their lives. Their stories could be shared around the kitchen table. From a picture, we could identify an aunt or uncle (we’d not yet met) or a departed great-grandparent and associate them with the narrative shared. More poignantly and perhaps surprisingly, you might see something of your own face reflected back to you in the faces of distant relations – a recognition of family. In those older slides of Dad’s, in that photo album of Mom’s, members of the family I knew were sometimes surrounded by others I could never meet. Photographs, again, became starting point for gathering family narrative.

Cameras and Photography

When I was 10, my mother encouraged me to try making photographs with her Kodak Brownie Hawkeye. This film camera brought some complexity to the would-be photographer that I was – not exposing the film to light while loading it into the camera required care; looking down through an eye-piece to take a photo of something in front of you required getting used to; care was needed to wind the exposed film back into its spool and unload it from the camera; processing of film into prints and negatives had to be paid for; film needed to be purchased. In a week or two, you would return to the drug store where you had dropped off the film to pick up your prints and negatives. Sometimes, your memory of a photo and what the photograph contains is different – a kind of learning not to be disappointed about.

For my thirteenth birthday, my family got me a Kodak Pocket Instamatic camera; the Kodak 110 cartridge film was easier to load and remove from this camera, and the camera used a cube flash with four flash possibilities. This Kodak camera came to Britain with me in 1976 – I still have photographs of the Lake District, Newcastle, Durham, York and London. Ten years later, with my brother’s encouragement, I bought my first Single Lens Reflex (SLR) camera, a Canon T-70 – I purchased the camera body from London Drugs in Edmonton Centre and two lenses from Saveco (in Edmonton). As my father and brother upgraded their Canon cameras (Canon FD & Canon AE-1), their old lenses came my way.

A Canon PowerShot S110 Digital ELPH was next. Our second child had just been born. We were in a new era where digital images could be uploaded to a viewing platform and shared with others on the Internet. The camera was pocketable and easy to use with a young family. At that time, I was a home education coordinator within a school jurisdiction the size of three small Maritime provinces. I took the camera with me on my daily drives through northwestern Alberta. When a photo-worthy image could be shot, I seized the opportunity.

April - Jasper, Alberta Canada 2

I bought a DSLR (digital single lens reflex) camera in 2006 – a Canon EOS 30D and used an 18-55mm kit lens and a 75-300mm telephoto lens. The images gathered were those of family on holidays and those for the school’s yearbook. Storing images on its compact flash card became sluggish regarding its processor and write speed. I have updated cameras twice from that camera – first to the Canon EOS 60D and then to a Canon EOS 5D Mk III. With the 5D Mk III, I have updated lenses to three L Series lenses – Canon EF 70-200 mm f/2.8 version II, Canon EF 16-35 mm f/4 lens, Canon EF 24-70 mm lens – and a Sigma Art 50 mm 1.4 lens. The current ‘always in my pocket’ camera is the Ricoh GR III.  Many recent posts feature images from this excellent, full-frame sensor point-and-shoot camera.

In My Camera Bag

Camera Bodies – Canon EOS 5D Mk III & Canon EOS 60D

Lenses – Canon EF 50 mm F1.4, Canon EF-S 15-85 mm F3.5-5.6 IS, Canon EF 16-35 mm F4.0L IS USM, Canon EF 24-70 mm F2.8L II USM, Canon EF 70-200 mm F2.8L IS II USM, Sigma 10-20 mm F3.5 EX DC HSM and Tamron AF SP 150-600 mm F5.0-6.3 Di VC USD.

Lighting – Canon Speedlite 580EX II.

Photo Editing

Post-processing software and apps used include: Adobe Photoshop Lightroom Classic; Topaz Labs apps – Studio 2, Denoise, Sharpen, Adjust and Mask; and DXO Nik Collection – Color Efex, Silver Efex, Analog Efex, Viveza, Dfine, Sharpener, HDR Efex, and Perspective.

Image Presentation

Image presentation can take different formats – (1) Technicare Imaging Limited in Edmonton offers a means to create excellent prints from a distance and to have them delivered to your door; (2)Precision Imaging in Edmonton exceeds all expectations for making gallery-quality prints and to have them framed and delivered to your door; and, (3) Mixbook has been an excellent venue for creating photobooks and cards; for us in northern Alberta, creating a Christmas card in the summer for distribution to friends and family at Christmas, when we as teachers, are often busiest, was an exceptional experience. Good! Other imaging – (4) Blurb Books has been excellent for creating coffee-table photobooks; (5) I also work with a Canon imagePROGRAF 1000 and have enjoyed framing prints at home and the process of mounting prints to foam board for presentation.

April - Jasper, Alberta Canada 1

37 thoughts on “Photographs – Among Family”

  1. Pingback: Images and thoughts « Isathreadsoflife's Blog

  4. I’m completely entranced by your photography…about to miss my deadline today as a result of finding you from your LIKE on my site, and there you were and here I am, pulling myself back to the real world…

    1. Hello Liana:

      I am totally intrigued to find Meister Eckhardt as one anchor among others within your blog … you’ll, no doubt, have found your way to John O’Donohue as Eckhardt scholar and mystic.

      Thank you for looking around this blog and to miss a deadline … that’s high praise, to move forward in curious wonderment and exploration outside time or perhaps reigning in time’s structure(s)/appointments. Philosophically, John O’Donohue would argue that stress is a perverted relationship to time … I think he’d find you to be master of your time. And, then you have me thinking of Douglas Adams and his approach to deadlines – “I love deadlines. I love the whooshing sound they make as they fly by.”

      Take care, and Welcome …. 🙂

    1. Hey there, Arlene:

      I was just down in Edmonton when I read your comment. Thank you for these very kind words. I will likely have a go at printing and presenting images this year. At Sidney Blake’s recommendation I got in to Technicare in Edmonton on Thursday and explored different printing options – acrylics for the detail work, canvas for the broad images capturing an event and a few other ways to present images. I am likely to try out Technicare within the next week to see what image outcome can be produced. So, we’ll see what happens.

      Please stay in touch. Happy New Year – take care … 😉

  7. Hi there,

    Love your photos, namely some of the photos of downtown Edmonton. I’m wondering what type of license you have on your photos or what you would require for someone to use one on a website? 🙂

    Thanks!

  8. Nice reading about you

    Thanks for visiting my blog. Be in touch. Browse through the category sections, I feel you may find something of your interest.

    Happy New Year !!!!!!! and best wishes for you in 2014 🙂

    1. Hello, hello …

      Thanks for having a look around, here and your invite and welcome to continue looking around your ajaytao2010 blog.

      I’ve enjoyed the photos I’ve found on your blog; I’ll make sure to have a look through more regularly.

      Warm wishes to you, too, … Happy New Year! Take good care of your good self. 😉

    1. Hello Debra:

      I haven’t gotten to selling copies of the Canadian Flag barn; lots of people are interested in the image, though.

      I’ll let you know … I’ve been looking for good printers in Edmonton.

      Take care … 🙂

    1. Hello, hello Tetonrose and welcome.

      You, likewise, have a beautiful blog created out of iPhone photos – I am hearing more and more about DSLR shooters liking the freedom of image capture with an iPhone over the weight of camera and camera bag with lenses. Your images are extraordinary – I’m liking them.

      Take care … 🙂

  14. Thank you for following my blog ! I’m more of traveller than a photographer, but I hope you will still enjoy yourself. If you have any suggestions, feel free to comment. I was really amazed by the few pictures I’ve seen ! Wow ! I can see the years of experience behind 🙂

    Happy Easter !

    1. Hello, hello … Happy Easter to you as well.

      From what I’ve seen you’re a person who would direct me well in my travels toward things I aim to photograph. I have teacher friends who teach as a way to move them around the world. One friend shows up seasonally and seems to move between Antarctica and the Arctic – she hires on to research groups. Perhaps you’re doing something similar.

      Thank you for checking in … and I may come to you with travel questions.

      Take good care of your good self.

      1. Of course, I would be happy to answer to some questions (If I’m able to do so), so don’t hesitate, it’s always my pleasure to help fellow bloggers 🙂

  15. Thank you for following my blog. I am happy to return the favour so I can see more of your beautiful photographs. I lived in Alberta for a few years (Calgary) and it’s great to see some familiar scenery. Will have a proper look around soon.

    1. Hey there, Caz:

      Thank you, likewise for having a look in and a follow of ‘In My Back Pocket – Photography.’ Calgary is definitely one of those Alberta places to live – an hour away from Banff and to all those backwoods trails. I’ve hiked through to Mount Assiniboine and spent a few summers on out-trips in the Crowsnest Pass.

      Take care … and you’re missing spring in Alberta; the days are warming.

  16. Thank you for following my blog 🙂 I visited Alberta some years back and was there in the spring when most of the snow had melted. Sheer magic! Beautiful images you have here so I’m happy to return the gesture 🙂

    1. Hey there, Sonia:

      Thank you for looking in and the follow. Alberta is in the midst of spring. Where I am the snow has melted significantly within two weeks – six foot drifts/piles now down to nothing and somewhat greening lawns. I hope you get the chance to return and explore.

      Take care. 😉

  17. Hi
    Thank you for dropping by and following my blog, appreciated :-).. great final thought, I find it impossible to choose, so works for me too 🙂

  18. Hi there! I’m the Promotional Coordinator for the Edmonton Potterwatch Institute for Charity — we are currently in the process of planning our charity Yule Ball and would like to use one of your shots of the River Valley as the background of our poster! Please email me at ngidda@ualberta.ca as soon as possible! Thank you!

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