Miss You, Daddy

My dad wore a lot of hats, but one of the things I’m going to miss the most is his passion for photography.

He left us quite suddenly just before Christmas, and though my day-to-day doesn’t change a whole lot, my heart will never be the same.

I think I’m doing pretty well, but when I see these photos of him with his camera, I fall apart.

When I was a little girl my dad took many photography courses and I was often his practice subject. Whenever the camera came out, I’d run to change into a dress so I’d be pretty in the photos.

It wasn’t unusual for us to be driving somewhere and suddenly in the middle of nowhere he’d pull off to the side of the road, hop out of the car and rush to get his camera out of the trunk… He’d seen a bird he wanted to shoot😁

About five years ago I really tried to learn how to use a DSLR and he did his best to teach me, but I just didn’t get it.

As I was going through about his 100,000-ish photos for the funeral slideshow, I realized that the only way I’ll be okay is to carry on his legacy as photographer. His collection of photos may have ended, but mine are just beginning.

He had just upgraded to his dream camera and professional lenses a few years ago and I’m determined to put them to good use.

I’ve been practicing now for about four months, and with the help of a kind photographer I’m excited that I actually DO understand how to use a DSLR and I’m pretty proud of myself. I have a long way to go yet, but I’m going to get to a professional level. I know my daddy would be proud of me, but I’m doing it for me.

Not sure yet exactly what kind of photography I’ll specialize in, so for now I’m just going to try all the things and see where it ends up. If people eventually throw money at me, that’s just a bonus. For now, it’s therapy.

Miss you, Daddy😢