The Past 5 Days
Moving is not like a 1-day holiday that you can easily mark off your calendar with a pen as if it’s something you no longer have to deal with once you’ve settled at your destination.
We were told by close friend that depending on the size of the house, we’re unlikely to see and enjoy our new home for what it is for at least 2 weeks after because the unpacking is just as brutal as seeing stacks of labeled boxes dispersed around empty rooms that you wish would magically occupied themselves with everything you brought along.
Symbolic photograph of randomness around the new home as we settle.
Buying a home is not like turning a page onto a new chapter. It’s more akin to picking up an entirely different book that may seem esoteric at first but which you’ll eventually grasp the language and feel proud that you’ve chosen to learn it.
These past 5 days after work been spent straightening around the controlled disarray that we have in the new house. The whole concept of being a home owner hasn’t fully sunk in yet and on days that I find myself second guessing our decision, the feeling completely erases when seeing my wife cuddling with our 7-month old baby either in his own room or our bed. If being a parent hasn’t change you in a positive way, then I hate to say that you’re probably doing it wrong.
When you’re growing up, things like living on your own, holding a job, having kids and buying a home are characteristics that represented an adult life. I celebrated my 30th birthday on Superbowl Sunday and as every year goes by and things in my life change for the better, I’m trying to recall when was the last time I actually felt my age.
With the exception of my iPhone, the D90 hasn’t seen the light in a couple days. I’m eager to get back to wondering aimlessly with the camera on the streets, to work on photography projects, to continue my normal routine of writing and most importantly, to enjoy this new place I call home with my family.
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A Father and a Photographer
Becoming a father has been one of the most remarkable experiences of my life and what has certainly made it even more gratifying is having a wife that’s both an amazing partner and mother.
We found out we were expecting the day after Halloween and the excitement only grew as the months rolled on. It was an incredible feeling when I felt the little fella kick for the first time and that same night as we were laying in bed, my wife leaned over with a smile and said, “I can already imagine the amount of photos you’re going to be taking of your son.”
Up to this day, she’s been right and she’ll continue to be because whether you’re a photographer or not, there unquestionably be endless moments when the urge to snap a photo will be as natural as standing over their crib gazing at them as they sleep.
Even on days when I may not have the opportunity to journey around Brooklyn like I normally do, you can rest assure the camera is far from just stationed on the tripod which stands by my desk. Along the way I’ve made sure I’ve captured as many memories of Evan growing up because looking at him now is just as amazing as recalling how small he was a couple days ago.
I photograph our son so often that my parents got a bit overwhelmed managing the high volume of emails that I send them of their grandson. To simplify their life, I gathered all the photographs I’ve taken of Evan so far and dumped them into a folder in Dropbox on my computer which I then share with them after having set up their computer with a Dropbox account.
They have a MacBook, an iPhone and an iPad in their house, so regardless of which device they choose to reach over for, it’s guaranteed that any of theses devices will fulfill the purpose of showcasing photographs of their grandson.
The most recent one is this photograph of my son Evan as he’s being led by my wife into the bathroom for a morning bath.
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Vanessa and the Baby Bump
When it comes to content on your site, sometimes you never know how personal to get with it because there’s the assumption very few will care on anything you might have to say with material that falls outside your norm but for the past 8 months, the unique and pleasant sight of my wife’s pregnancy has been among the most special moments in my life and it’s difficult to disregard that.
As much we all have ongoing responsibilities in our lives, it’s true when people say that when you’re expecting, 90% of your time and thoughts are directed towards that growing bump and everything else becomes trivial. For me, the other 10% of my time is spent working, curating this site and keeping occupied with self-assignments that continue to challenge me as a photographer.
As far as my photography, I don’t have anything figured out and I merely have a faint idea of the type of photographer I want to be but when it comes to retaining moments, I’ll take full advantage of the enthusiasm I already have for the craft and use it to highlight significant events in my life.
It was 7pm, the sun was still glimmering in spite of how late it seemed and right before we even considered getting comfortable to have dinner, I persuaded Vanessa to take a walk down this unfrequented alleyway in our neighborhood for some quick shots. There’s not a day where I don’t ask her how her work day was and it was pleasant having that same conversation on the street where it almost took her mine off me wanting to photograph her because the consensus is that regardless of how happy a woman might be in becoming a mother, being photographed can be very self-conscious.
I love my wife, I love my unborn son and as a photographer, I enjoy the perception friends have of me in that if something significant transpires in my life and they weren’t able to be part of it, they can always depend on me having photographed it to share it afterwards. I don’t want to be like the elder Rose character in the film Titanic by James Cameron where the most vivid memories she has of the time she spent with Jack live only in her memory since there was no record or photograph ever found to verify that he even existed.
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My Ongoing List of Photographic Goals
Thom Hogan is a photographer who writes exhaustively on all things Nikon and I was reading an article by him entitled What’s Your Goal where he talks not just about establishing your photographic ambitions but in making them public as well. The money quote for me is:
Not communicating a goal to at least one other person is like making a prediction on the future but not telling anyone. It doesn’t count when your prediction comes true, because no one knew you predicted it.
I’ve talked about photography goals before but I’ve never really disclosed my personal ones. I keep in Simplenote this ongoing list of personal objectives that I think would fulfill me as a photographer. I don’t identify them as missions to be quickly hashed out for the sake of it because the undertaking itself will take time and it’s ultimately the practical knowledge of working to accomplish any of them that will keep me or anyone inspired to add more to a list. As of now, this is what I have.
- Attend a photowalk ✓
- Meet a professional photographer ✓
- Get published in a magazine ✓
- Sell a print ✓
- Get acquainted with a complete stranger and photograph him/her
- Get sponsored for a photographic assignment abroad
- Have a photography featured in Pictory ✓
- Attend a workshop
- Take on at least 1 payed gig
- Buy the lens you always talk about owning (Nikon 17-35mm f/2.8)
- Create a photo book to sell
- Photograph Machu Pichu in Peru
- Photograph the Pyramids of Giza in Egypt
- Photograph a riot or rally ✓
- Photograph a parade ✓
- Have a gallery exhibit
- Write a guest post on a prominent photography website
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