Kitty Ethridge: Gene's Sister Arrives

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Gene's Sister Arrives at His Birthday Party ©2012 Kitty Ethridge

 

 

 

Not too long ago I had the pleasure of photographing a very special gentleman, Gene C.  It was his 90th birthday and the room was full of family and friends who had come to celebrate his life.  Clearly they all adored him.  This is a very loving family and a great amount of credit for this is due to Gene. All of them were unafraid to show emotion and affection for each another.  Gene himself led them in this regard. The last person to arrive at the party was his youngest sister.  He wasn't expecting her and so was very surprised to see her come in through the door. 

The Recognition ©2012 Kitty Ethridge

 It was the most poignant moment of the night.  Briefly she recognized him.  As she got closer to him her face lit up.  For a few minutes she was able to leave the yesterdays behind that are currently her realty and be in the present.  At least it seemed that way for the older brother she loved so much.

A Brother's Love ©2012 Kitty Ethridge

Summer Heat: by Peter Leavitt

Peter Leavitt ©2011

School ended in May of 2009, and I’ve been suffering an artistic existential crisis ever since. Suffering may be too strong a word, but that’s beside the point.

Peter Leavitt ©2011

Art school is all about helping you improve your skills by killing the love for art that made you apply. Once that has been sufficiently beaten out of you by numerous projects that you can only now see the point of, hopefully you find your voice and recover the joy that brought you there in the first place. At least that was my experience.

Peter Leavitt ©2011

So now what do I do without weekly critiques, deadlines, and countless hours to spend in the darkroom or out in the streets/fields/whatever?

Peter Leavitt ©2011

For the past two-and-a-half years I’ve been back to “just taking pictures.” I try to keep a camera on me all the time, and sometimes I even have something specific in mind. I develop the pictures in spurts when I have the money, and I scan and edit them when I have the energy. My wonderful Linhof 4x5 spends a lot of time in its bag while I make use of an old friend, the 35mm SLR or rangefinder. The big old guy (around as old as my father) taught me a lot, and he’ll stay in my arsenal, but his pictures are views, and I’m after something a little more personal.

Peter Leavitt ©2011

Looking at the last few months of pictures incredibly briefly summarized here, I see again what drew me to photography is the first place: The ability to snatch a moment away from time and share it with people forever, a chance to appreciate the small miracles of wherever we find ourselves that we take for granted every day.