Honestly, it’s like watching my childhood unfold right before my eyes. They’re living it. And this time, I’m old enough to photograph it.
A few days back, Tommy and I spent a couple hours at my older brother’s house over Memorial Day weekend. As some of you may recall, my brother and his wife are raising their children in the house I grew up in. Every time I visit, a new memory seems to surface.
They ran through sprinklers. We played with their baby kittens. They helped me pick some rhubarb and asparagus. And, of course, Hannah and Landon took Tommy and I upstairs to show us their brand new beds. Hannah is now sleeping in my old room — she has her bed pushed up next to my old window in an all-too-familiar fashion.
“Every morning, I wake up and see what Dad is doing outside,” Hannah said to me as she laid on her belly and peered out the window.
“Oh yeah?” I replied. “And what is he usually doing?”
“Either mowing the lawn or rototilling.”
I promise you, it’s nothing short of a flashback.
As Landon was running through the sprinkler — grinning, shrieking, laughing — an idea popped into my mind about a new personal project I’d like to begin. (Personal projects can take years to complete, so don’t expect to see it in next week’s Friday’s Frame.) 🙂
I’d like to do a series of diptychs. Diptychs are nothing new to photography. But they’re new to me. A diptych is basically two photos that are better together than they are apart. It’s a miniature story.
Here are my thoughts behind it: My mom has hundreds of photos from our childhood, stuffed away in albums and boxes. We could probably dig through our basements and find the exact same photo above (of either my brothers or I) from 25 years back — same place, same time, a different generation, a different sprinkler. How cool would it be to put those two photos side-by-side. I’m going to do it. Mark my word. 🙂
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