This is why I will never stop shooting

Nearly five years after I started this thread:

my dad died of cancer last Thursday. He turned 70 last January.

Last picture I took of him when he was alive was of our final handshake. He gave a firm hand, despite being very weak.


Photograph your loved ones while you can, people.



EDIT: I'll look up the images from the original post and put them back in there in the next days.
 
johannielscom said:
Nearly five years after I started this thread:

my dad died of cancer last Thursday. He turned 70 last January.

Last picture I took of him when he was alive was of our final handshake. He gave a firm hand, despite being very weak.


Photograph your loved ones while you can, people.
Click to expand...

Johan, my heartfelt condolences. So sorry to hear that.
 
So sorry to hear of your loss Johan.

I took very few pictures of my parents. 2 years ago, my father had a stroke, and he's paralyzed. He's still alive, but he's not the vigorous man I knew when I was growing up.

My wife's mother died 2 years ago from cancer. We have few pictures of her.

A month ago, we found out that my wife's father has metastatic cancer. We are planning a trip back to Canada to visit him. I'll bring my camera, and take a LOT more photographs. Not only him, but his environment, and the house that my wife grew up in. After he dies, no doubt that home will be sold. Without this thread, I doubt I would have thought of these issues.

My personal anguish is this. Somehow, in foolishly making a "windows recovery disk" as requested by windows 10, I ended up losing my entire external hard drive by formatting it!!
I have sent it off to a data recovery service - hopefully they can get the files back.

The still photographs I'm not too worried about, as I have all of my negatives, and I can scan them again.
The digital videos of my children from the time that they were babies - I want those back!
 
Johan, you are indeed blessed to have had your time with your father. He will remain with you and as others have said, he raised a good son. I go home to where I grew up next week and will photograph my hometown, my 82 yr. old uncle, and other family members. I become a grandfather in October and that poor boy will get tired of his grandfather snapping him through his life for as long as I can. He gets my leicas by the way.
 
Johan,

Condolences for your loss to you and your family.

I'm getting to the age where I hear of my friends' parents passing on more and more frequently. And even siblings and friends. My generation's time is coming, I must get on with my photo projects or they will not be done.

Yes: make photos of friends and family often. Record their voices, their laughter. Let them not pass without something to remember them by. For this Time in our lives is our only time, we must cherish it regardless of anything else.

I'm glad you had that last five years. May he live on forever in your memory.

G
 
My condolences to you and your family for your loss. Thank you for reminding me that I don't have enough photographs of my loved ones. Take care.
 
Johan, it's good to hear from you in this community, though the news you bear is sorrow. You have many friends here--some fatherless, like you; some fathers, also like you. I hope you find some consolation and companionship in these likenesses.
 
Thank you all, people.

These days, I make it a habit to shoot many tiny details.
His drivers licence, the plastic bags with medication that await pickup from the pharmacist in the hallway, his death certificate, the sea of cards and bouquets that has arrived, his car in the driveway, his toothbrush in the bathroom.

All those images that need to be shot now since there will not be another opportunity.
 
@Johan - I've only just come to this thread, but allow me to offer my condolences to you as well. You had another five years with your Dad since the incident in 2011, and your last photo of him was of you shaking hands. That is a gift and something to be cherished, along with all the good memories and lessons you gained together over the years. May you and your family be well.
 
I am very moved by this thread. There is much I need to change in how I record memories.

Johan, thank you for starting this thread nearly 5 years ago. You have left a poignant legacy in your father's memory.

My sincerest condolences for your loss.

Regards

J
 
Dear Johan,

Condolences. I lost my own father 17 months ago. Or rather, I lost his shell. Even a couple of months earlier, around his 88th birthday, he was confined to a hospital bed and rarely lucid. Death was the proverbial "merciful release". The last time I saw him when he was himself (albeit feeble) was the year before that.

Then again, a couple of weeks ago I lost a friend of 40 years to lung cancer. He was 67. I saw him a week or two before he died, just before I went into hospital myself. As I said to him then, "See you in the next lifetime."

Best,

R.
 
Ik lees dit nu pas. Van harte gecondoleerd met dit verlies Johan en veel sterkte gewenst in de komende tijd om dit te verwerken. Ik denk dat het vastleggen van zoveel mogelijk zaken die je aan hem zullen doen terugdenken een goede manier is om hierbij te helpen.
 
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