It's Father's Day here in the U.S.--a day to honor and celebrate fatherhood. (And for merchants to sell more watches, cologne, greeting cards, ties, and so on. But that's another story.) I got breakfast in bed and the chance to read the morning paper in relative peace and quiet. The real gift of course was seeing the delight in my family's eyes as they opened the door and showered me with their love and appreciation.
My own father died of lung cancer when I was sixteen years old. He himself was only in his mid-thirties. It was only when I reached my mid-thirties that it really struck me how young he was when he died. It was only when I had children of my own (my first was born when I was forty-six) that I gained insight into how hard it must have been for him to support a wife and seven children on his working man's salary--and then to have leave us all at such an early age.
If you're wondering what any of this has to do with photography, here's your answer: My father worked as a photo-lab technician. I remember being fascinated with the magical process of putting a blank piece of paper into a tray and watching it develop into a photograph before my very eyes. The darkroom process still fascinates me to this day. (Sorry folks, but watching a print ease out of an inkjet printer doesn't deliver quite the same thrill.)
It's not as if my father tried to steer me towards photography or that he was a photographer himself; it's that he did something I considered magical and did it well. We all have our own individual reasons for buying cameras and producing photographs. Mine was my father and what better day to honor his memory than today?
There's certainly a family resemblance here! What a lovely studio portrait. Long ago it seemed many folks went to the photo studio for their portrait to be taken. Don't know if that's still en mode. Besides your fascination with the printing process he also left you a wealth of siblings. Must be interesting having so many sibs.
Posted by: Mike | June 22, 2009 at 12:45 AM
Gordon,
While it was indeed wonderful to watch an image slowly emerge on a sheet of photo paper in a tray, I can still also remember the first time I watched a full color photo coming out of an inkjet printer. To me, it was just as magical! The room lights were on and I didn't have to even remember to put the paper in the paper safe!
It's different, but to me just as impressive! Anyway, Happy Fathers Day!
Posted by: Roger Engle | June 22, 2009 at 10:32 AM
I worked as a Marine Corps photographer in the 60s and spent many, many hours in a darkroom. It never stopped. It was always magic when the image slowly revealed itself in the developer.
Posted by: John Krill | June 22, 2009 at 06:37 PM
A very nice tribute to your Dad. It's nice that he gave you a love of photography before he was taken too soon.
Posted by: Kevin Mayo | June 22, 2009 at 08:17 PM