Steven Addis: A father-daughter bond, one photo at a time

Translator: Joseph Geni Reviewer: Morton Bast

Translator: Christo Crafford Reviewer: Ingrid Lezar

Photography has been my passion

Fotografie is my passie

ever since I was old enough to pick up a camera,

vandat ek ’n kamera kon optel,

but today I want to share with you

maar vandag wil ek

the 15 most treasured photos of mine,

my 15 kosbaarste foto's met julle deel,

and I didn't take any of them.

waarvan ek niks geneem het nie.

There were no art directors, no stylists,

Daar was geen kunsregisseurs, geen stiliste,

no chance for reshoots, not even any regard for lighting.

geen kanse vir oorskiet nie, geen ag is geslaan op beligting nie.

In fact, most of them were taken by random tourists.

Om die waarheid te sê, die meeste is deur toeriste geneem.

My story begins

My storie begin

when I was in New York City for a speaking engagement,

toe ek in New York was om ’n toespraak te gee,

and my wife took this picture of me holding my daughter

en my vrou dié foto van my met ons dogter op haar eerste verjaarsdag geneem het.

on her first birthday. We're on the corner of 57th and 5th.

Ons is op die hoek van 57ste en 5de.

We happened to be back in New York exactly a year later,

Ons was toevallig terug in New York presies ’n jaar later,

so we decided to take the same picture.

so ons besluit toe om dieselfde foto te neem.

Well you can see where this is going.

Julle kan sien waarop hierdie afstuur.

Approaching my daughter's third birthday,

Naby my dogter se derde verjaarsdag, sê my vrou:

my wife said, "Hey, why don't you take Sabina back to New York

"Hoekom vat jy nie vir Sabina terug New York toe nie,

and make it a father-daughter trip, and continue the ritual?"

dan maak julle dit ’n pa-dogter uitstappie en sit die ritueel voort."

This is when we started asking passing tourists to take the picture.

Dis toe dat ons toeriste begin vra het om die foto te neem.

You know, it's remarkable how universal

Dis opvallend hoe universeel die gebaar is

the gesture is of handing your camera to a total stranger.

om jou kamera vir ’n vreemdeling te gee.

No one's ever refused, and luckily no one's ever run off with our camera.

Niemand het ooit geweier of, gelukkig, met ons kamera die hasepad gekies nie.

Back then, we had no idea how much this trip would change our lives.

Toé het ons geen idee gehad hoeveel die reis ons lewens sou verander nie.

It's really become sacred to us.

Dit het werklik heilig geraak vir ons.

This one was taken just weeks after 9/11,

Hierdie een is net weke na 9/11 geneem,

and I found myself trying to explain what had happened that day

en ek moes probeer verduidelik wat op daardie dag gebeur het

in ways a five-year-old could understand.

op maniere wat ’n 5-jarige kon verstaan.

So these photos are far more than proxies

Hierdie foto's is dus meer as plaasvervangers

for a single moment, or even a specific trip.

vir ’n enkele oomblik of spesifieke besoek.

They're also ways for us to freeze time

Met hulle kan ons ook tyd vries

for one week in October

vir een week in Oktober

and reflect on our times

en terugkyk op ons tye

and how we change from year to year,

en hoe ons verander van jaar tot jaar,

and not just physically, but in every way.

nie net fisies nie, maar in elke opsig.

Because while we take the same photo,

Want, alhoewel ons dieselfde foto neem,

our perspectives change,

verander ons perspektiewe,

and she reaches new milestones,

en sy bereik nuwe mylpale,

and I get to see life through her eyes,

en ek sien die lewe deur haar oë,

and how she interacts with and sees everything.

en hoe sy op alles reageer en daarna kyk.

This very focused time we get to spend together

Dié gefokusde tyd wat ons saam spandeer

is something we cherish and anticipate the entire year.

is iets wat ons koester en die hele jaar voor wag.

Recently, on one trip, we were walking,

Onlangs, op een besoek, stap ons,

and she stops dead in her tracks,

en sy steek in haar vier spore vas

and she points to a red awning of the doll store

en wys na die rooi sonskerm van die popwinkel

that she loved when she was little

waaroor sy mal was as kind

on our earlier trips.

op ons vroeër besoeke.

And she describes to me the feeling she felt

En sy beskryf aan my haar gevoel

as a five-year-old standing in that exact spot.

as 5-jarige op presies dieselfde plek.

She said she remembers her heart bursting out of her chest

Sy kon onthou hoe haar hart uit haar bors wou bars

when she saw that place for the very first time

toe sy die plek die eerste keer gesien het

nine years earlier.

nege jaar tevore.

And now what she's looking at in New York

En wat sy nou na kyk in New York

are colleges,

is universiteite,

because she's determined to go to school in New York.

want sy's vasbeslote om daar te gaan studeer.

And it hit me: One of the most important things

En dit het my getref:

Een van die belangrikste dinge wat ons maak, is herinneringe.

we all make are memories.

So I want to share the idea of taking an active role

Ek wil dus die idee deel

om aktief en opsetlik herinneringe te skep.

in consciously creating memories.

I don't know about you, but aside from these 15 shots,

Ek weet nie van julle nie,

maar buiten hierdie 15, is ek in min familie foto's.

I'm not in many of the family photos.

I'm always the one taking the picture.

Ek's altyd die een wat hulle neem.

So I want to encourage everyone today

Ek wil dus almal vandag aanmoedig:

to get in the shot,

kom in die foto in

and don't hesitate to go up to someone and ask,

en moenie huiwer om iemand te vra nie:

"Will you take our picture?"

"Sal jy dalk ons foto neem?"

Thank you. (Applause)

Dankie. (Applous)