Imagism

A couple of weeks ago I received a call from a lady who was telephoning on behalf of a bride I had photographed in 2006.  The Groom had just passed away and they were in need of a portrait I had taken.

I was a little shocked as I have never had a call like this before. Having photographed more than 800 weddings it starts to get a little tricky remembering every bride & groom, but as I was locating the photo while the family friend was still on the phone, she explained to me that the groom had said that he thought it was the best photo ever taken of himself.  I was quietly chuffed, again no one has ever said that to me before either, but then i found the portrait and i was immediately saddened.  Its bizarre how you meet so many people at wedding’s, its a privilege to do so but you tend to forget a lot of people as well. However as soon as I saw the image of John I instantly remembered the very moment I had taken the photo.  I remember I had felt guilty at the time, I had asked him to kneel down on the sand, an effort that produces a great result but is generally uncomfortable for anyone over the age of 12, of course I was only thinking about the image then, but now I’m really glad I had.

As a photographer I often question myself about the importance of my role and realistically how little a contribution I make to society, after all I’m no teacher or farmer, I simply make pretty pictures, a luxury item that has no real significant purpose, or so I had thought.  And it wasn’t until that moment that i actually realised the real importance of a photograph.

John Grigor 1938-2008

I wish to extend my condolences to Johns wife Therese and family, and thank you John for touching my life.  I guess my mum has always told me to grab the photo albums on my way out if the house was ever on fire, I think I really do understand why now.