Meeno

[Bill Pierce]

In the end, we, all photographers, document our lives.

Take a look at The New York Times Lens essay for March 8. It’s important.

http://lens.blogs.nytimes.com/

 

[jenquest]

Why did you make me read this?

It was wonderful.

 

[anjoca76]

Very thoughtful and moving.

 

[maggieo]

That is one of the most moving, and painfully familiar, photo essays I've ever seen. (Part of me is kicking myself for not doing it before Hiroyuki.)

 

[Bill Pierce]

Ten dogs so far. I'm thinking a pet elephant that would last longer than me.

 

[twopointeight]

Excellent. It's got Beat.

 

[telenous]

Just reading it the heart broke a little. Thank you for the link. Wonderful and moving essay.

 

[ampguy]

The pet images are great. I can't help but wonder if all the other ones are staged images.

 

[jsrockit]

I will admit that this made me cry. Goes to show you that sometimes cat photography, which is heavily dissed on this site, can be more moving than many other supposedly "soulful" photography genres.

 

[f16sunshine]

Ten dogs so far. I'm thinking a pet elephant that would last longer than me.

I thought this when I got a parrot (Orange wing Amazon). He was fun but not the faithful companion that the dogs are. I let him go to a breeder as he was much fonder of other birds company... horny little bugger! That was 25 years ago and he is still alive and knocking up girly birds

My dogs go with me everywhere. "Hugo" is my 6th. I lost two that where under 6 years old to the damn Cancer.

For my sake I hope I pass before he does.
For his sake I hope he passes before I do.
Either way one of us is going to feel the bitter-sweet pain of loss.

Thinking this at all goes to show... you're in it together with your companions whether 4 legged, winged, or bi-pedal. Be grateful everyday 🙂

 

[rhl-oregon]

Thanks for directing me to this story, Bill. Quite full of life for me, and I admire his tenacity, empathy, and attention at the end.

I have made an argument in more than one poem that a dog can be a man's soul made visible to himself. But I'm a dog person. In recent months I made photographs of the end of my mother's life, and of the end of my companion Midnight's life at 17 dog years. Neither project was more important to me to get right than the other. Whomever we love well, we love without limit, definition or judgment.

 

[Jamie Pillers]

Ten dogs so far. I'm thinking a pet elephant that would last longer than me.

One of those big turtles would work too... they can go past 100. 🙂

 

[lynnb]

Thanks for this. What an emotional journey. I do not like to think of saying goodbye to our furry friends - all three of them.

 

[dfatty]

thanks for sharing, very touching.

fwiw here's a direct link:
http://lens.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/03/08/one-cat-three-lives/

 

[Chriscrawfordphoto]

I photographed my grandpa's cat, Molly, over her 19 year life. She outlived grandpa, though. She was an awesome cat. She loved when I came to visit. She was meaner than Hell to other animals. When grandpa got a dog, she jumped on top of the dog's cage, reached in through the bars, and tried to claw the dog's face up! One day, she brought grandpa a rattlesnake's head! She also attacked the neighbor's pit bull one day! Grandpa didn't mind the evil, because she killed rattlesnakes. He hated snakes!

Grandpa and Molly in 1998

Grandpa suffered from alzheimer's disease the last years of his life, and Molly kept him company. This was in March, 2008. Grandpa died in December, 2008.

Molly sat in the window constantly for weeks after grandpa died. This is in January, 2009.