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Not Taking Enough Pictures Is Something I Regret

I sincerely regret not taking enough pictures, especially during times in my life that I now consider to have been major turning points in my life.

My father bought me my first camera, and every camera I ever owned during the course of his lifetime.  My very first camera was a Pentax 35 mm film compact point-and-shoot.  As the years went by, my father would take my old cameras in exchange for newer, more advanced models.  Unfortunately, the cost of film and the processing which came later became expensive, forcing me to conserve my film to one or two rolls per month.

In many ways I am envious of young people today who have access to high-quality digital photography equipment, the likes of which my generation never thought would ever be possible. Young people of today are lucky to be able to capture important and nostalgic moments in life, then store, share, and edit them, all at virtually no cost whatsoever.

During the course of his life, my father took thousands of pictures (most of which he kept in albums), though months after his passing, I found several cardboard boxes filled with sealed, unopened envelopes filled with photographs and their original negatives.

harvey slatin & arthur covert (1990) - 011This is one of my favorite pictures that I took of my father, Harvey Slatin, and his best friend, Arthur Covert.

More pictures and memories are now awaiting their digitization stage, and eventually I will have most of my fathers photographs on-line.  Sadly, I still lack any audio or video recordings of my father and me.  Most of all, my father never took the time to document anything in his personal life, specifically the places where pictures were taken, the dates they were taken, or perhaps most importantly, who appears in the pictures.

22 Comments

  • vikram parmar

    Youngsters nowadays can memorise great moments in their life. They can store and share with no expense.

  • Angelo Bugay

    I want to greet you and your father an advance “Happy Father’s Day”. You may lack photos and videos but the memories stored in your heart and mind will never fade.

  • David Tjoe

    Well, I seem to agree with this. Young people now do look very fortunate in almost everything because of the current technological developments. I saw how many photos I had in the album from childhood to adulthood with the number of photos they stored in their smartphones, they had all the memories they wanted. While I only memories in special moments. 🙂

  • Wilson Jake

    That’s life dear, time detects how vast we are with technology. Tomorrow’s generation will be happier than we right now because more tools will be available for their usage. But believe me Thomas, the little pictures you took are memorable and awesome

  • Danielle M

    Your pictures are great Tom, I think you are doing a wondefull job showing those places abandoned throught a different angle.

  • Meldred Judith

    We never know if we are going to lose our memory when we gets old, so taking pictures is really important. Even if it’s not a celebration, or holiday, we should always take picture so we can always go back to that time using the picture.

  • Daphne

    Photography has come such a long way. It’s difficult to fathom that just a few decades ago you could only see the photos you captured after weeks

  • Clarissa

    It’s amazing how technology changes from time to time from one model to newer version. I know you miss your father so much to regret not filming lot of photos and videos with him but our heart and mind remembers so much that it can reflect images clearer than any photograph.

  • Louis

    Compared to most people, you’ve actually taken a lot of pictures. At least you have that going for you.

  • Shantel

    I also wish I could have photos for all my memories. Unfortunately we can’t have our cake and eat it haha

  • Anderson

    Your father did awesome to introduce you to photography at a young age. I bet you are very thankful for that.

  • conrad pranze villas

    Acceptance is one way to move on. Just cherish what you have, and be contented. Everyone of us has a turning point in life that we regret.

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