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

Translator: Joseph Geni Reviewer: Morton Bast

Translator: Iris Xholi Reviewer: Alisa Xholi

Photography has been my passion

Fotografia ka qene pasioni im

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

qe ne moshen kur isha i afte te mbaja nje aparat fotografik,

but today I want to share with you

por sot dua te ndaj me ju

the 15 most treasured photos of mine,

15 thesaret e mia fotografike,

and I didn't take any of them.

te cilat faktikisht nuk i kam bere une.

There were no art directors, no stylists,

Nuk ka as drejtues artisik, as stilist,

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

asnjë shanc per riberje fotosh, madje as ndonje interesim per ndriçimin.

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

Ne fakt, shumica e tyra jane bere nga turiste te çastit.

My story begins

Pikerisht ketu fillon historia ime

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

kur isha ne New York per nje leksion,

and my wife took this picture of me holding my daughter

dhe gruaja ime me beri kete foto duke mbajtur ne duar vajzen

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

per ditelindjen e saj te pare. Ishim ne cepin e rruges 57 dhe shetitores 5-se.

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

Rastisi qe mbas nje viti te ishim ne New York, po ne ate vend,

so we decided to take the same picture.

dhe vendosem te benim te njejten poze.

Well you can see where this is going.

Tani besoj e kuptuat ku dua te dal.

Approaching my daughter's third birthday,

Meqenese vajzes po i afrohej ditlindja,

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

gruaja me thote, "Hej, pse nuk e çon Sabinen në New York

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

duke vazhduar ritualin e udhetimeve baba-vajze?

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

Ketu eshte kur filluam te pyesim turistat qe kalonin per te na marre ne foto.

You know, it's remarkable how universal

Eshte mahnitese se sa universale eshte

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

ideja e dhenies se kameras nje te huaj .

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

Asnjeri nuk ka refuzuar , dhe asnjeri nuk ja mbathi me aparatin.

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

Deri me ate pike, ne nuk e kishim idene se sa ky udhetim do te na ndyshonte jeten.

It's really become sacred to us.

Eshte kthyer ne dicka te shenjte per ne.

This one was taken just weeks after 9/11,

Kjo foto eshte bere disa jave pas 9/11,

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

dhe e gejta veten duke u munduar te shpjegoja se çfare kishte ndodhur ate dite.

in ways a five-year-old could understand.

në nje menyre te thjeshte qe edhe nje 5 vjecar do ta kuptonte.

So these photos are far more than proxies

Pra, ketëo foto jane shume se Proxies

for a single moment, or even a specific trip.

per nje çast, ose per nje udhetim me specifik.

They're also ways for us to freeze time

Ka gjithashtu menyra per ne te ndalojme kohen

for one week in October

per nje jave ne Tetor

and reflect on our times

dhe te reflaktojme per kohet tona

and how we change from year to year,

dhe sesi ne ndryshojme nga viti ne vit,

and not just physically, but in every way.

dhe jo vetem fizikisht, por ne çdo menyre.

Because while we take the same photo,

Sepse, ndersa ne bejme te njeten foto,

our perspectives change,

perspektiva jone ndryshon,

and she reaches new milestones,

dhe vajza arrin nje etape te re,

and I get to see life through her eyes,

dhe une mund te shoh jeten nepermjet syve te saj,

and how she interacts with and sees everything.

dhe menyres si ajo ndervepron dhe shikon gjithcka.

This very focused time we get to spend together

Kjo kohe kaq e fokusuar qe ne kalojme se bashku

is something we cherish and anticipate the entire year.

eshte dicka presim me padurim pergjate gjithe vitit.

Recently, on one trip, we were walking,

Se fundmi, ne nje nga udhetimet tona. duke ecur,

and she stops dead in her tracks,

ajo ndalon pernjehere

and she points to a red awning of the doll store

dhe trgon me gisht nga nje strehe e kuqe dyqani kukullash

that she loved when she was little

qe ajo e kish shume perzemer ne vegjeli

on our earlier trips.

ne udhetimet tona te para.

And she describes to me the feeling she felt

Dhe me pershkruan ndjesine qe pati

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

ne moshen pese vjecare, pikerisht ku qendronte sot.

She said she remembers her heart bursting out of her chest

Ajo tha qe i kujtohej fare mire zemra tek i rrihte me force

when she saw that place for the very first time

momentin qe e pa per here te pare ate vend

nine years earlier.

nente vite te shkuara.

And now what she's looking at in New York

Dhe tanime, ato c'ka ajo sheh ne New York

are colleges,

jane kolegjet,

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

sepse e ka vendosur te shkoj ne kolegj ne New York.

And it hit me: One of the most important things

Kjo me ngacmoi: Nje nga gjerat me te rendesishme

we all make are memories.

qe krijojme, jane memorjet.

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

Sot me ju, dua te ndaj idene e te paturit nje rol me aktiv

in consciously creating memories.

ne krijimin e memorjeve ne menyre koshiente.

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

Nuk e di ju, por perpos ketyre 15 fotografive,

I'm not in many of the family photos.

une nuk jam ne shume foto te tjera familjare.

I'm always the one taking the picture.

Jam gjithnje personi pas aparatit fotografik.

So I want to encourage everyone today

Ndaj, dua t'ju inkurajoj sot

to get in the shot,

qe te dilni ne fotografi,

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

dhe mos hezitoni ti kerkoni dikujt,

"Will you take our picture?"

"A na beni dot nje foto?"

Thank you. (Applause)

Faleminderit. (Duartrokitje)