Lasting Bond
Jun, 2018Views
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Contest Finalist in Special Moments Photo Contest
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lynettemariephotography
September 30, 2018
Thank you everyone for your support! I truly appreciate the compliments and love! ❤️
Same photographer See allBehind The Lens
Behind The Lens
Location
This photo was taken at the Skilled Nursing and Rehabilitation Facility where my Mom spent 3 excruciating months going through rehabilitation from hip surgery after breaking her hip from a fall. Her battle physically was easy for her compared to her mental battle. Not only was she recovering from hip surgery, she was experiencing hospital delirium from all of the changes she had recently been through. Alzheimer's and other mental illnesses were preventing her from understanding the recent adjustments in her life.Time
I get emotional thinking back on the day this photo was taken. On June 1, 2018, around 10:00 am, Mom was released from the Skilled Nursing Facility where she resided for 3 months during her rehabilitation from hip surgery. The moment was bittersweet for everyone.Lighting
The only useful light other than normal hospital-like lighting, was a nearby window with a strand of morning light shining through. It was pure luck (or was it) that the moment was slightly illuminated by this small ray of light.Equipment
My trusty Nikon D3300 combined with my go-to 55mm Nikon lens were in their normal spot: around my neck. No tripod, no set-up, no special lighting used in this photo. This image was an instantaneous raise and snap.Inspiration
Pushing Mom in her wheelchair on the way out of the long 3 months of rehab, she asked to stop so she could say goodbye to her friend. With my camera around my neck, I placed her near her friend and stood back to allow them to have their moment. As soon as I saw their hands grasping onto one another, I had to capture the moment. There were words that couldn't be spoken from either one of them due to their mental statuses. The unspoken words were filled with emotions. As a photographer, I document my Mom's last years. As a daughter, I want to leave her footprints of life for her loved ones to remember. My husband and I moved Mom from her home in a faraway state to be near us in an Assisted Living Facility when her doctor and friends called declaring her mental status was becoming dangerous to herself and to others. Alzheimer's was taking over her mind. Mom had a difficult childhood, losing her Mom when she was just 16-years old. She was a good Mom to my brother and I, but there was always something else in the way of us having a close relationship. That something else turned out to be mental illnesses that were diagnosed after her arrival at the Assisted Living Facility. Finally, there was an answer to my suspicions. She needed me now. Although she wasn't always there for me during my life, I know now that she needs me more than ever. I'm here for her and a different person having gone through this painful process. Living with all of this confusion for as long as she has and now with Alzheimer's taking over, has to be more than painful (mentally, not physically) and scary for her. Through all of the ugliness life puts us through, I cannot imagine having her conditions and trying to deal with life. I'm grateful to be able to help her and provide her with the best care possible. The circle of life is a curious and mysterious experience. As it turns out, Alzheimer's gave me my Mom. With the help of her doctors and medication, she is now able to love unconditionally. What a terrible shame knowing it took an awful disease to bring her to the real person she is. I'm saddened, yet grateful all at the same time. We are enjoying our time together and making each visit, each lunch outing, meaningful and memorable. It's the little things that make her happy now. She doesn't remember anything in the now. Our conversations are about what she does remember. Stories, lessons, and experiences I never knew before are falling upon listening ears and an open, loving heart. When I began photography, it was meant to be my therapy and outlet for creating. A couple of years ago, I was diagnosed with life-altering autoimmune diseases, coupled with a defective and damaged heart. Due to my failing health and the frequency of doctor appointments, forced the sale of my 20-year home-based design/publishing business. With a hole in my heart, there was an itch to create that needed to be scratched. I chose photography as my hobby and to document the endearing moments of our new grandson. With my life turned upside down, I'm grateful for what I thought was the worst thing to happen in my life thus far, to find photography as my therapy and actually have a meaningful purpose that will last long after I'm gone. There are so many details in life we tend to overlook, ignore, and/or take for granted. Realizing and understanding each moment counts in life no matter how small or large after my personal health issues has helped make me a better photographer. So this moment with Mom, this detail in life, was not going to slip by me. Not this time.Editing
I wanted this image to depict the emotions and the story behind those emotions. In my opinion, conversion to b/w monochrome was in order for the viewer to feel the emotions evoked from the simplest of gestures between two people. Normally, the gesture of holding hands is simple, but in this moment there were unspoken words and a ton of emotions. The authentication of the aging process is clearly visible for a reason in this photo. It's real. It's honest. It's life. No editing of the image itself was necessary in this photo - it had to be as it was. The conversion makes it timeless.In my camera bag
I carry my Nikon D3300, Nikon18-55 mm lens, Nikon 55-200 mm lens, AF-S Micro Nikkor 40 mm lens and my Nikon D7500 with the amazing AF-S Nikkor 18-140 mm DX lens, several charged batteries, lens cleaning utensils and cloths, my crystal ball (not for telling fortunes), a squeaker from an old dog toy to grab the attention of dogs and children, and battery chargers. Oh! And, several lens caps. I tend to lose those.Feedback
Don't concern yourself with much. Let life happen and be part of it. Be ready to capture whatever moves you by simply being there. Shoot from your heart. Be in the moment, be aware of your surroundings and lighting, and just snap. Less is better in moments like this, in my opinion. Let the main attraction of your emotions steer your focus. This method has yet to let me down. I invite you to view more journeys and life experiences through my website at: www.lynettemariephotography.net, or my blog at: www.lynettemariephotography.wordpress.com
