The dad photographs are getting harder to take and to show as his condition deteriorates. I have his approval so I will continue to take and shoot photos and post them. The images are getting sadder and sadder. Any day that's a good day and we can talk, is a real blessing now. Dad told me to keep taking photos even to take some when he is in his coffin, so I will do that, for me and for him.
Some of these might make the final cut for the Rosebud show (the pain image). These are now becoming the hardest photos I have ever taken. Even surpassing the difficulty I had shooting the Vietnamese workers in the Cambodian brothel.
I have always believed in the power and importance of photography, especially documentary work. At the Louie Photography Gallery exhibition I had a donation link for cancer Canada next to dads pics. At the next show in Rosebud it will be the same. My hope is that people who see these photographs might donate a little to cancer research. If dad and I working together through these photographs can help fund any kind of positive cancer related research then that would really be something, a real honour!
I will try printing the "Pain" photo of dad this week on the new 11x14 Ilford cool tone fibre. If I like it I will buy some 16x20 sized paper from B&H and make a archival fine art version for Rosebud. There is fogging on the upper right area of this negative as it was the last shot on my roll of bulk film I used. The dark burn works in that area so I think I can camouflage it and make a good print from the negative. The neg seems very sharp, which is a bit of a miracle in the low lighting conditions in the room. You got to like the combination of Leica lens, rangefinders and Tri-x.
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| Dad in pain, Feb 2015 |
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| Dad in hospital bed, Feb 2015 |
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| Abstract image of mom feeding dad his medicine, Feb 2015 |
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| Dad in his hospital bed #2, Feb 2015 |
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| Dad after taking lots of morphine to combat his cancer pain, February 2015 |
