This week’s photo is of my mother’s father, Marvin Arseneau. Grandpa’s 92-years old. He lives with my folks now, as his eye-sight and hearing have gotten bad enough that he really can’t fully take care of himself anymore. Ninety-two years old, helped raise 4 kids, was married over 60 years and is now a widower living with his youngest child (my mom). I do wonder what it’s like to be him; he’s seen and done so much. When his good friend Loyal V. comes over to the house, sometimes they talk to each other over their cel phones, because they can hear each other easier that way, by turning up their phones’ volume.
This shot is from what is planned to be a new project of mine–the legacy portraits. I’d like to shoot portraits with my 4×5 camera, portraits that will last through the years. I don’t want to make portraits that are in keeping with whatever trends are popular. I want to make portraits that fit in the history of photography (how’s that for a goal?), classic portraits that demonstrate straight photography’s unique ability to show a particular thing at a particular time. I’m not looking to make the definitive portrait of someone, but a definitive portrait of someone at a particular moment. I’ll post updates as progress is made on this work.
