Some folk here *might* remember last year when
I was talking about going to my (unwell) Dad's 62nd birthday,
and it being the first time my family was together
in many, many years (this related to OM how? Well,
I was asking advice on lens choice and photography
in general of course :-) )
A few of those photos came out okay for "family
snapshots". As per someone's advice, I remember to
put down the camera at times, and enjoy the day myself,
but I also now have many requests for reprints of what
Dad called "one of the best days he had".
A couple of weeks ago (1st May) I was called Newcastle (where
my parents live) urgently. For the next week and a bit,
I, my brothers, my sister, and my mum (and her sister)
spent the day at the hospital, sleeping (or rather, not
sleeping) on the room's floor, or holding watch and
Dad's hand in "shifts" during the "dogwatch" hours, only
going home for about an hour each day to shower (and
sometimes not).
I took two cameras, the MjuII and the C5050z digital.
I know, you're probably thinking "Sick bastard!" :-), but
the photographer's imperative required me to at least
have them handy. I'm glad I did. On the 8th May, Mum
& Dad renewed their vows in the hospital, it being their
42nd anniversary. I have photos of the ceremony. I have pictures
of many family members and Dad together (the unfortunate
paraphernalia of tubes and such notwithstanding) and
some of both the happiness and pain rollercoaster we
were feeling over that time. I was asked to take pictures
all the time, so I'm glad I had brought both cameras.
I have one particular picture, which I have admittedly
manipulated beyond "photography" with some simple filters
(including cutting out the background and replacing it with a
white background, and some of the "tubing" from my Dad's
face too), which I wish to place within a white
matte and probably white frame. Here is one without the
"Impressionist" filter:
http://www.geocities.com/montsnmags/md.jpg
and here is one with the "Impressionist" filter:
http://www.geocities.com/montsnmags/md2.jpg
(both of these have obviously been reduced from actual
size).
As you can see, I am going for something more "painterly"
to frame for Mum, and this "Impressionist" filter in
Micrografx Picture Publisher seemed to give the best
effect.
I am just wanting to know if there is any particular
suggestions anyone would care to make in regards to this,
be they suggestions of different filters, or colour/contrast/
brightness adjustments, etc. Anything at all! I realise and
understand why some people find some of these filters abhorrent
(and often do myself), but in this case this is a preference
amongst the family. I don't want to clog up the OM list with
post-processing suggestions though, so please feel free to
email me direct. I am very new and naive at this kind of
thing, so I'd thoroughly appreciate any advice.
I know some of the above is rather a personal matter,
for which I apologise for the awkwardness. Please
realise that the reason I am talking about it here is that
it was the enthusiasm, experience, advice and wisdom provided
here that helped make that 62nd birthday such a wonderful day
for my Dad and us, and ensured that we have the records to
refer to in future, as a reminder. It is the same thing,
this list, that provided the incentive for me to take
the cameras (admittedly not OM, but at least both Olympus :-) )
this time, and record something immensely special and
personal to our family. It is from all of this that I
am learning why photography is important to me, and that
"just a hobby" can mean more than it says in itself.
It is my way of saying "Thank-you" to you.
At 7.07am on the 11th May 2003, Mother's Day, my family
held onto each other and Dad as his breathing, which had
been so labouring and so threatening of finality so many
times over that last week, finally slowed and stopped.
I have my memories, and I have my pictures to entangle with
and imbue them.
Marc
Sydney, Oz
(PS. I also promised Mum & Dad to say "Prostate Cancer - if
you're over 40, go check with your doctor about it".)
< This message was delivered via the Olympus Mailing List >
< For questions, mailto:owner-olympus@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx >
< Web Page: http://Zuiko.sls.bc.ca/swright/olympuslist.html >
|
