The Importance of Photographing People in Your Life

Today’s Post by Mark Toal

Recently my father-in-law, Lou Bachrach, died at 88 years old after a long illness. Lou and I shared a love of photography and would always be the ones lagging behind to take photos on outings. As I watched Lou slowly slipping away for the past couple of years I took family photos whenever we were together.

This photo was taken during his last outing before he went into Hospice care. We went to a restaurant at the top of Macy’s in downtown San Francisco. As we waited for our table I looked over at Lou with the sun coming through an open door about 10 feet away. I quickly raised my camera, set it to the Program mode and shot this photo of Lou. Unlike a traditional photo made with the rest of the family, I felt the photograph really captured his spirit.

Last week it was used at the family service and in the facility where he lived. Everybody commented on how much the image captured the Lou they remembered. I’m so glad I had my camera with me that day and made the photo and could make a small contribution to Lou’s memory. Don’t be afraid to take that personal photo. Show how you see the person and not how you think they want to be seen.