How Do You Wish To Be Remembered?

Ismael Hernández Vargas at 85
Tio
Barrio Rocha, Moca, Puerto Rico

Dad's wedding afforded me some time to get back in touch with my family and where we came from. It also gave me an opportunity to reflect on how I would like to be remembered. 

Voyeuristically photographers create vignettes but they aren't always true to the person in front of the camera. This presents a conflict between the subjects essence and the photographer's personal quest for perfection and beauty. At times, the photographer imposes his view on the subject. The images become an extension of the photographer's skill set and not an actual portrayal of the subject. To me the key is to capture both.

In my mind there's a difference between a snapshot and a photograph regardless of the equipment used and the photographer taking the image. For the greater part of his eighty-five years, my uncle Ismael, has led a healthy life on his farm. His pride to this day is animal husbandry. Although he doesn't need to work, he enjoys messing with his prize cows and calves.

If I only showed one image of Ismael, he would prefer not the normal smiling portrait photographers love to take, but one of him as he truly is: working and tending to his cattle or in his element outdoors.