stories of the past

A few days ago my sister posted this photo of my mom, at 18, having caught a big fish like a true Oregonian. I have seen this photo dozens of times throughout my life, but I can't seem to recall the details. Did she catch the fish herself? Was she fishing with my dad (an avid outdoorsman)? I think they had met by the time she was 18, but I can't recall specifically. Was she holding his catch? Was she flirting with him in her nonchalance?

Inspired to dig into my small archive of scanned photos from the past, I came up with these great photos: my Dad in his hometown Chicago, my parents on a road trip across the US, my parents by a lake, and a photo of me hanging out in a backpack while on a hike with my Dad. I love these glimpses from the past, but they're not enough for me. I want to know the stories of each photo, the details, emotions, and a description of what happened before and after. Maybe it's time for my dad to start writing the biography that my siblings and I have been trying to convince him of for years.

The Jazz Loft Project

The Jazz Loft Project is an archive project profiled in a multimedia production from The New York Times. The production features photography and audio content from the archive of W. Eugene Smith, captured from the unique perspective of his loft building (via Micha).

From 1957 to 1965, the photographer W. Eugene Smith exposed 1,447 rolls of film to record the goings-on inside his loft building, as well as scenes from street life visible from his windows. He also made 4,000 hours of audio recordings that captured random conversations, phone calls, radio programs and, above all, many legendary musicians of the day, who came to the building to hang out, rehearse and jam.