Photographs. Thank God for Photographs.
There’s a beautiful song by Colin Hay called Dear Father. The song is written to his father who passed away. He wrote the song while he poured through old photos of his dad years later. The song begins with a line that captures the importance of those photographs to him in keeping the memory of his father alive in his heart.
“Dear Father, I’ve got your photographs. Thank God for Photographs. Hip Hip Hooray”.
I love this song and in my mind I hum it often while I am taking pictures. It reminds me of the importance of capturing the moment I am in and how much it might mean to me (or somebody else) someday. The photograph could have the same importance as those that Colin sings about.
Then today, while browsing Facebook, a photograph and a post appeared which was quite moving. The post only said, “Grand Canyon Trip in June. I wish I had a time machine.”
And this was the picture that it captioned.
This might seem just like any other photograph on Facebook. It might seem just like any other family portrait of a vacation. But it is not just any photograph. It is not just any family vacation portrait.
This photograph is one of the last family pictures they took before Alice (the youngest girl pictured) passed away. She had just turned 2.
Her mother posted the picture. It is a powerful reminder of the importance of the moment. It is a reminder that the little things – like a photograph- are not so little. The little things are what make life worth living. This photograph is very important. It is a treasure that they will keep forever. It is a time machine that will take them back to the memory, back to their life with Alice.
A Letter to Alice
I learned of the story of Alice several weeks ago. She had passed away in her sleep. I could not fathom such a loss myself.
Her mother Melissa wrote a letter to her baby which is heartbreaking and beautiful. A goodbye that she never got to say. I wanted to repost the letter because it was very powerful. You should read this – Thank you Alice. How precious life, family and memories are. And, photographs. Thank God for Photographs.
10 Beautiful Photos of Surfers Heading to the Water at Sunset
There are lots of reasons to live in San Diego. When you live next to the beach you can walk to the ocean and watch all the beauty that evolves at sunset. Each day is different. Each day is like a painting that will amaze you.
I have been going to the beach here in La Jolla at sunset for years and snapping pictures when I see something particularly beautiful. Here are some of my favorite shots of Surfers heading into the water at Sunset.
My Girl’s Birthday
And now for the most special birthday of the year. Who would that be? My girl. My wife and the best person in the world – Tu McKenna!
Big Fun in Big Sur
Big Sur is a very sparsely populated area on the Central Coast of California that is famous for some of the most dramatic coastline in the entire world. Big Sur got its name from the Spanish name, “El Pais de Grande Sur” which means the big country of the south (because it is south of San Francisco).
Big Sur extends from San Luis Obisbo to Monterey and it is some of the grandest and most amazing coastline that you could ever visit. Before HighWay 101 was built Big Sur was so wild that it was nearly inaccessible so very few people would ever go to visit. Up until the 1950’s only two homes in the entire region had electricity. This was truly the last of the last of the wild west.
Can you imagine coming to this area in the 1800’s? It must have been amazing. Too bad that during the Gold Rush most of the Coastal Redwoods were cut down. That is a tragedy. The area has since been designated as a park and it is well protected.
When you drive through Big Sur, the road winds and zig zags for miles and miles and miles. About 60 miles actually. You will need at least half a day if not a full day to make the entire drive because you will want to stop at many of the scenic views along the road.
The first white settlers moved to Big Sur in 1862 after they were promised 160 acres of free land if they went to the place and built their homes. The settlers would primarily make their money by harvesting bark and selling it.
We stopped off and saw an amazing location that looked like it was an Oasis straight out of the movies. A waterfall descends on a white sandy beach and stone outcroppings with trees and vegetation grow from the sea. It was simply an amazing place.
Big Sur is heavily populated with thousands and thousands of sea otter. In fact the whole coast is populated with tons of wildlife, seals and birds. Big Sur is a great place to camp and hike.
The cliffs in Big Sur are so dramatic and so steep that it can be pretty alarming when you stand on the edges. In some cases you could drop several hundred feet on to the rocks below. Here, Tu stands on tree stumps. Just behind her, the cliffs drop off what must be 500 hundred feet or more to the coast below.
Bixby Bridge is one of the most iconic photo locations in California. If you come to California or see any pictures of the most beautiful places, Bixby Bridge will definitely be on the list. I put Bixby Bridge and Big Sur on my list of the 10 most beautiful places in California – 10 Most Beautiful Places in California.
Bixby Bridge actually looks great when the skies are cloudy and dramatic. This is a picture that I took last time I drove there and I like how the skies a little cloudy which made the pictures more interesting.
You can see our gallery of pictures here – Big Sur Gallery.
Vintage Ballerina
What girl doesn’t dream of being a ballerina? Kathy had a vintage Ballerina costume that was in in the 1940’s. It fit Tu perfectly so she put it on and danced like a Ballerina on the bed.
And he didn’t want to take any pictures.
Ryan wasn’t feeling so good. But his mom convinced him he should. She said, and I quote, “he will make you look like a rockstar” which was very kind.
Sometimes I sit and wonder to myself, how is that I am able to get people to do almost anything in pictures. Take for example Ryan here. He was completely hung over. Yet somehow he was convinced that putting on a ladies hat, his mom’s frilly jacket and a pair of size 7 woman’s boots was actually a good idea and would make a great picture.
Actually I think it did. Thank you Nash – Mr Ryan Nash. You do look like a fabulous rock star here.
