I often mention my mother in my blog posts with few references to my father. Dad has been as influential and inspirational as Mom, but since he is the main reason that I have a photography blog at all, mentioning him all the time isn't necessary.
If talent for photography is in the genes, then I inherited my photographer's eye from my Dad. When I was younger, Dad brought his Konica 35mm single reflex camera with us everywhere. With that camera, he documented significant moments, special occasions, family vacations and portraits of important people in our lives as we grew older.
Later, when my sister and I became photographers ourselves, he relinquished the family photographer role to us. But with the arrival of his new digital SLR camera and my sister and I moving away, Dad is now the family photographer again of the new generation of kids growing up.
Today's photo is one of the thousands taken by my father, depicting me in my cotton candy-themed costume when I played Carnival in Trinidad when I was little. I love the composition and how he played off color and light. Besides my sister, my dad is the only other photographer who knows how to capture my truest self in a photograph. I look at my younger self in this photograph and smile. I'm still Peter's little girl with bright eyes and mischievous spirit, dancing to the rhythm of a drum beat. I just need to bring her out more often.
Happy Father's Day, Dad. Thanks for beginning my journey with photography.
