click, flash, capture…

Rumor has it… My grandpa – a large, burly, often covered in grease and oil, factory machinist – was INSISTENT on photographing my parent’s wedding back in ‘89. So much, that he and my grandma purchased a Nikon N5005 to use on the big day. Yes, my parents had already hired a photographer, but you can’t tell Bill anything. Come their wedding day, my grandpa didn’t snap a single image and the hired professionals gathered the exact photos they were hired to capture.

Fast forward 30+ years to last fall and a garage sale my mother was having… I, unknowing of its mere existence, came across said camera after a browsing stranger yelled “how much for the old film camera?” across the driveway. I immediately told the woman it wasn’t for sale while giving my mother the craziest look, grabbed the camera bag off the table, and bolted inside to investigate what I had just stumbled upon. After hours of frustration, so many curse words, and nearly giving up, a sudden click lead to an explosive flash which lead to a random capture (and then, a tear of excitement from me)!

Since that day, I haven’t put the camera down. It’s traveled with me – near and far – snapping images of friends, gatherings, scenery, excursions, and more. I don’t quite know much about how to use it to its full capabilities (YET!) but I plan to use this page to share some of the captures that have brought me joy.

Here’s to a happy, little piece of my past that allows me to document my present to share with my future.