By Scott Shephard
It was 1972, I had just graduated from high school and we were on our last Great Family Road Trip, this time to Alberta, Canada. I accompanied my mom and dad (sister Barb and brother Mike was too old for such trips) and we met up with aunt Gladys, aunt Mary and Uncle Harold somewhere is southern Alberta. The three of them had come from their homes in Olympia, Washington and Portland Oregon. You’d think I’d be grateful to be included with such important people in my life but all I could think of was getting back home to be with the girl I had fallen madly in love with - Deb. She was the center of my universe, not family or even the sun.
But I had my new camera with me and somewhere during our trip I took this portrait of a pensive Uncle Harold. When this informal portrait surfaced a few days ago, I was overwhelmed with a flood of memories and emotions that only someone who knew Harold would appreciate. But I will tell you this: he is one of the most important people in my life. When I was a kid, I wanted to be like him. He was funny, smart and outgoing. And he could also build and fix anything.
Before today, I had never thought of a photo as a multi-dimensional object. But when I look at this photo I realize that there is sometimes a depth, form and substance present in a picture to which only memory and the heart can give shape.
Honeywell Pentax SP500