On March 24 of last year I wrote this. Ironically as I sit here adding this preface I am once again filtering thru old family printed photos. Patiently waiting for my scanner to work its magic. We have another funeral to prepare for. The funeral of my Great Aunt Edith (Grandma’s older sister).
This little bit once again sprang to mind. Why are printed portraits important in the digital age?
You see on March 22 my Grandmother passed away. This is the woman who picked me up every day from school. Attended parent teacher conferences and helped with my homework while my single mother was in college. She was the other parent in my life. Her passing involved a short stay in hospice (something we were not expecting from a perpetually stubborn and charismatic woman with a classy air). When she passed I wanted to help honor her in the best way possible. As a photographer I felt I could do a better job with a slide show than a predetermined format that the funeral director just plugs the images into.
Wrapped in a fog of grief I set to work restoring images time had not been kind to. I carefully sifted thru memories spanning nearly nine decades. Making certain that I included each family member with her. I asked family members to send me copies of treasured photos to include. Touching these memories and holding them close helped me to process what had quickly become my new reality. Music was selected, images timed to allow the viewer a chance to look not glance. A total of six and a half minutes cataloging 87 years. It struck me as odd that in the last two decades we only had the photos grandma took with her point and shoot camera of the flowers she had picked in her yard. The slide show was complete. My work to honor grandma was done.
It took me a full day to realize why we had so few memories to show for the past two decades. When I asked for photos my family had gone to the photo albums and framed photos. None of us (myself included) had paused in our grief to look at our digital files. We needed that tangible item to anchor us to what was slipping away. The printed image gave us a touchstone to help us process our sorrow and also busy our hands in a way pixels never could.
For years I have explained to my clients that when a loved one passes you want those printed images to hold. Some clients take it to heart. As a photographer I neglected my own images. I printed for clients and not myself. Something I have come to truly regret. Going forward I will not go back and alter the slideshow. I have decided to let this slideshow stand as my new reason why the printed image is just so important.
An aside –
As I sit a year and a few days after I published this post we are again planning for a funeral of a loved one. Again I am reminded just how important photos are for coping with loss.
