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

Translator: Joseph Geni Reviewer: Morton Bast

Translator: Róisín Healy Reviewer: Mia Mollie

Photography has been my passion

Bhí dúil agam sa bhfótagrafaíocht

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

ón uair a bhí mé in ann ceamara a phiocadh suas,

but today I want to share with you

ach inniu ba mhaith liom

the 15 most treasured photos of mine,

na 15 grianghraif is ansa liom, a roinnt libh

and I didn't take any of them.

agus níor thóg mé aon cheann acu.

There were no art directors, no stylists,

Ní raibh aon stiúrthóirí ealaíne nó stílíthe ann

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

ní raibh deis chun iad a thógáil arís, gan trácht ar an soilsiú.

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

Mar a tharla sé, thóg turasóirí fánacha an chuid is mó acu.

My story begins

Tosaíonn mo scéal féin

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

nuair a bhí mé i Nua Eabhrac le haghaidh coinne óráide,

and my wife took this picture of me holding my daughter

agus thóg mo bhean an grianghriaf dom lem' iníon i mo bhaclainn agam

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

ar a céad breithlá. Táimid ar an gcúinne idir 57ú agus 5ú.

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

Mar a tharla sé, bhíomar ar ais i Nua Eabhrac an bhliain dár gcionn,

so we decided to take the same picture.

agus bheartaíomar an grianghraif céanna a thógáil.

Well you can see where this is going.

Feiceann sibh anois cad a tharla ina dhiaidh sin.

Approaching my daughter's third birthday,

Ag druidim i dtreo tríú bhreithlá m'iníonsa,

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

dúirt mo bhean liom "Cén fáth nach dteann tú ar ais go Nua Eabhrac le Sabina

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

agus turas d'athair agus d'iníon a dhéanamh as, agus leanfaidh sibh ar aghaidh leis an traidisiún?

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

B'in an uair a thosaíomar ag iarraidh ar turasóirí fánacha an grianghraif a thógail.

You know, it's remarkable how universal

Tá sé suntasach cé chomh uilíoch is atá sé

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

do cheamara a thabhairt do dhuine nach bhfuil aithne ar bith agat orthu.

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

Níor dhiúltaigh éinne ríomh, agus tá an t-ádh orainn nár goideadh an ceamara uainn.

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

Ag an am sin, ní raibh fhios againn cé chomh mór a rachadh an turas seo i bhfeidhm orainn.

It's really become sacred to us.

Tá sé fíorthabhachtach dúinn anois.

This one was taken just weeks after 9/11,

Togadh an ceann seo cúpla seachtain díreach i ndiaidh 9/11,

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

agus thug mé faoi deara go raibh mé ag iarraidh eachtraí an lae

in ways a five-year-old could understand.

a mhiniú ar bhealach a thuigeadh páiste.

So these photos are far more than proxies

Mar sin, ní hionann na grianghraifeanna seo

for a single moment, or even a specific trip.

agus moimint amháin, nó turas faoi leith.

They're also ways for us to freeze time

Is bealach iad chun am a chalcadh

for one week in October

le haghaidh seachtain amháin i Deireadh Fomhair

and reflect on our times

agus macnamh a dhéanamh ar ar linne

and how we change from year to year,

agus ar chonas a athraímíd ó bhliain go bliain,

and not just physically, but in every way.

ní hamháin go fisiciúil, ach i ngach ghné.

Because while we take the same photo,

Mar nuair a thógaimid an grianghraf céanna,

our perspectives change,

athraíonn ár dearcthaí,

and she reaches new milestones,

agus baineann sí marcanna nua dá saol amach

and I get to see life through her eyes,

agus is féidir liom an saol a fhéiceáil trína súile,

and how she interacts with and sees everything.

agus conas a théann sí i ngleic le gach rud.

This very focused time we get to spend together

Is aoibhinn linn an t-am fócasaithe a chaithimid le chéile

is something we cherish and anticipate the entire year.

agus bímid ag tnúth leis an bhliain ar fad.

Recently, on one trip, we were walking,

Le déanaí, ar thuras amháin, bhíomar ag siúil,

and she stops dead in her tracks,

agus stop sí ina seasamh,

and she points to a red awning of the doll store

agus shín sí a méar chuig tairseach dearg siopa na bábóige

that she loved when she was little

a thaithin go mór léi nuair a bhí sí níos óige

on our earlier trips.

ar ár dturais níos luaithe.

And she describes to me the feeling she felt

Agus cuireann sí in iúl dom conas mar a bhraith sí

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

ar an láithreán sin agus í ina páiste de chúig bhliana d'aois.

She said she remembers her heart bursting out of her chest

Dúirt sí go gcuimhin léi a croí ag léimt amach as a hucht

when she saw that place for the very first time

nuair a chonaic sí an áit sin don chéad uair

nine years earlier.

naoi bhliain níos luaithe.

And now what she's looking at in New York

Anois is é atá á lorg aici in Nua Eabhrac

are colleges,

ná coláistí,

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

mar tá sí cinnte go bhfreastalóidh sí ar scoil i Nua Eabhrac.

And it hit me: One of the most important things

Agus buail smaoineamh mé: Ceann de na rudaí is tabhachtaí a chruthaímid

we all make are memories.

ná cuimhní.

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

Mar sin, ba mhaith liom nós a roint libh:

in consciously creating memories.

go nglacfaidh sibh ról gníomhach i gcruthú cuimhní.

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

N'fheadar cad fúibhse, ach lasmuigh de na 15 ghrianghraif seo,

I'm not in many of the family photos.

nílim i mórán de na grianghraif teaghlaigh.

I'm always the one taking the picture.

Is mise a thógann na grianghraif i gconaí.

So I want to encourage everyone today

Mar sin, ba mhaith liom chuile duine anseo inniu

to get in the shot,

a spreagadh chun a bheith sa ghrianghraif,

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

agus ná bíodh drogall oraibh labhairt le duine éigint

"Will you take our picture?"

agus "An féidir leat ár ngrianghraf a thógáil" a chur orthu.

Thank you. (Applause)

Go raibh maith agaibh (Bualadh bos)