Why I am a Photographer

I've always been fascinated by the medium of photography. From an early age old photos always had a lot of importance to me, growing up with a mom who was very into scrap booking. By age 10 my mom has stopped taking photos as much, as her life got busy having 3 kids. Being the youngest and very stubborn, I insisted on having the same quality of life documentation as my sisters. This played a huge part insuring up $60 to buy a point and shoot digital camera at age 10.

Fast forwards to today and photos play such a significant part in my life. Over a year ago my grandmother passed away and slowly my dad began scanning her photos to be digital to be shared with everyone. It's been a year since she passed and I long to sit in her kitchen eating pickles, potatoes and all the Irish food she would make.

After looking through all the photos my dad scanned it brings me to tears and great joy to have these photos to look back on. The glimmer in my grandparents eyes, the clothing they wore, and how they looked all feel so important to me. I love seeing what my family really looked like, how they hugged, how everyone laughed and the all-around goofy ness of what it truly means to be a Boyle. I'm extremely proud of my Irish heritage, the farming history and rural background my Dad's side of family has.

What I love about these photos is how real that they are. The people in the photos don't feel so different from me, as I carry a small pieces of them inside of me everyday. The photos serve as a link to a lot of answers I grapple with as a young adult. How will my body look as I age? Was my family well off? What did my family really do with their lives? Is it normal to enjoy sitting and around talking so much?

Here is a glimpse into some of the images my family captured over their lifetimes. A lot of these folks pictured are no longer living as the photos are OLD OLD. But sharing a glimpse of how important photos are no matter how significant or insignificant they might seem is why I do what I do.

My favorite photos aren't the picture perfect ones. Sometimes people are looking away, or don't look "instagramable" but these are my people. These are my grandparents living their very real lives, not photos trying to make life look glamours. The photos they mean so much to me and my family.

And the last photo of young me chilling with my grandpa while he's watching TV.