He was the first true photographer in my life -- Herbert Nalls Redmond, Sr. He was Honey to me. If outside he almost always had his camera around his neck, a leather case for his glasses in his left shirt pocket, and a hat on his head.
I am uncovering and connecting with him as I scan through the hundreds of slides he shot in his lifetime, and I am so very thankful.
So thankful that he took these pictures.
So thankful that I have the means to now recover them (for slide film doesn't stay still either - the images are shifting colors, and disappearing right before my eyes.) But I will save them, on my hard drive, on CDs, I will order prints of these and publish these images in books. I will save each one of them in hundreds of different ways so they never get away from me again.
So thankful that I had the chance to know him before he moved on. He didn't stay still either.
And I am so thankful that he never threw anything out. Not even slides that never quite turned out for one reason or another, perhaps due to lack of flash, etc. He had the benefit of foresite, I have the benefit of technology. My Nikon Coolscan V ED can find an image on film where there appeared to be none. Had he been a neat freak and not a clutter-bug, so many touching images would have been lost. I am a clutter-bug too, and I am proud of it. I am like him.
Here he is, sometime around June 1972 (that's what is printed on the slide) with his hat around his head, his camera around his neck, holding on to me then as he is right at this very moment. I feel him as I do this looking right over my shoulder at the screen and these images he captured 34 1/2 years ago.
Thank you so much, Honey. I love you and though I know you are still here with me, I will miss you forever.
