What Happens When You Die?

This thread has made me think I need to print my photos.

Precisely why I print!

A photograph isn't a true photograph until printed out onto paper imo

I've had to deal several times with sifting through the affaires of deceesed and tbh photographs that weren't printed out ( ie negatives and digi files) were pretty much binned as to trawl though it all is seriously time consuming.

Just going through actual prints was at times a long, tedious and difficult process in itself, many of which ended up in the bin anyway.
To start with negatives, hardrives, discs, usb keys etc etc was just not going to happen except for a skip through in case something really "special" or important" stood out.
 
I really should show one of my daughters how to work the v500 ,,,,,just in case I exit stage left unexpectedly.
 
Sorry if i upset/depressed anyone with my post yesterday... I kind of had to leave things half said because some of the bits I went into were just completely raw.

I would like to say to everyone who's wished me well, either in this thread or in PM's etc, that I'm not half as depressed and miserable as that post sounds.

I went through the classic stages of post-near-death stuff... started with complete euphoria that i'd "dodged the bullet", then a feeling of "invincibility" in that "if that fecker didn't get me, nothing will" and (obviously) the backlash from those states - complete and total panic every time I got the slightest pain anywhere in my upper torso or arms, and of course the worries and depressive thoughts that came with basically losing my freelance business of 15 years because the key repeat clients I had were slightly (and sensibly I may add, with my dispassionate businessmans hat on) wary of using a one man band consultancy for mission/business critical projects when the one man had just died/been resurrected/was held together with bits of stainless steel mesh...

Yeah, I was down... in 3 years, I'd lost my Dad (sole remaining family member, i've no kids, Mam died 5 years previously - took me ages to think of someone to nominate as next of kin...), Been hospitalised with Pneumonia, had Pericarditis (which BTW hurt a s***load more than having a heart attack, and lasted a couple of days at its worst, despite IV antibiotics), Had Costochondritis (best thought of as the same joint pain as Gout, only in the joints at the ends of the ribs, sternum and spine - that's a bundle of laugh's I can dell you. It's also REALLY good at disgusing the pain of Angina - which would have been an early warning and avoided me having the heart episode...). Then I had the little scare with the heart, and came out of hospital and lost my business. So I spent nearly a year, basically in rehab for the injuries/illnesses and getting a little therapy for the trauma.

Eventually I felt up to getting back into "real life" - and I needed to - Bank balance was at a lowish ebb... Ended up where I am now, strangely enough, working for the good old NHS... I reckoned that I'd probably need to do a couple of years in a slightly lower stress and lower profile job than I was doing before I went freelance, and, If I was going to have to work for peanuts, i'd like to do it for somewhere that would at least make a difference.

Two more years on, and I'm reasonably fit and well - haven't had any real issues physically or mentally, the company I work for are happy with me, I'm happy with the job, but sad that I'm gonna have to move on soon as the wages don't quite cover the bills.

I'm pretty well adjusted again I think - but, photography wise, I think that I've just done all the exploring of that slightly dark place that most of my still life stuff came from - I'd get into food photography, but to be honest, I'm also on a diet, and If I made appetising looking food to photograph i'd just pig out and ruin the diet. I haven't got rid of the camera kit because I really want to get back into it, but probably more in the original subjects that gave me the love of shooting - out in the hills and shooting landscapes. But - combining a love of cycling and photography means that weekends are somewhat time-crunched, and I've pretty much deliberately hung fire with the photography to ensure that I get the maximum time on the bike, getting fitter, and hopefully ensuring i'll be around for longer.

One thing I've learned from all of the crap i've been through is this - in the words of Ferris Bueller - "Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it."

So, I do things I want to do, on my own time-schedules - I massively resent anything that interferes with my free-time - I really appreciate the weekends now, and understand how lucky I was to be able to take a 3 hour lunch break when I worked for myself, just because the sun was shining and I wanted a bike ride - and most of all, I really understand that phrase my Dad used to say to me... "Every Day Above Ground Is a Good Day".... now, he was a miner, so it probably meant something different to him until he retired, but for me... well, I guess you know what it means to me...
 
Mark, what an extraordinary (and terrible) few years you've had. Thank you for those posts, they help put a lot of things in perspective for me. I'm so glad you appear to be coming out the other side, and I join everyone else here in wishing you very well in the future. And I hope you do find your photography "mojo" again, just as soon as it can get out from under the rock where it's obviously been quivering for the past wee while!

(TBH I'd think that cycling and photography should go well together, in that at least you can choose to go to interesting places. I guess the weight of the camera gear is an issue, but hey, surely that's just making you fitter?)
 
In my case it's a very simple question to answer. I almost exclusively only photograph wildlife (all digital) and my daughter already sometimes uses my photos to create her illustrations in her business. She is also very proficient with computers (a Mac user like myself) and so she would suddenly have an extra library of images.

Regarding camera gear, she is also a Canon user like myself and I would expect her to keep anything she needs and sell the rest. I am a dyslexic 71 year old and so only 17 and so still believe I am immortal :D

Her website for anyone who is interested or curious : https://skysiouki.com

P.S. @TheBigYin Mark, wishing you well. Enjoy each day as it comes.
 
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@TheBigYin Without meaning to sound trite, I'm glad you're still with us and hope that things are getting better for you. I've just got one point to pick up on and I hope it doesn't offend you....

I'd get into food photography, but to be honest, I'm also on a diet, and If I made appetising looking food to photograph i'd just pig out and ruin the diet.

This sounds like a bit of a cop out. You can do some wonderful still life photography using just fruit and vegetables. They come in all sorts of colours, shapes and sizes. And, you can use them as part of a delicious & healthy meal afterwards! Why don't you give it a try, I'd like to see the results :)
 
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@TheBigYin Without meaning to sound trite, I'm glad you're still with us and hope that things are getting better for you. I've just got one point to pick up on and I hope it doesn't offend you....



This sounds like a bit of a cop out. You can do some wonderful still life photography using just fruit and vegetables. They come in all sorts of colours, shapes and sizes. And, you can use them as part of a delicious & healthy meal afterwards! Why don't you give it a try, I'd like to see the results :)
I think it's a case of been there done that, Mark is a master of still life, you should check out his flickr
 
I think it's a case of been there done that, Mark is a master of still life, you should check out his flickr
Fair enough, I've only seen his still life photos of the skull that he's posted on here, not any containing fruit & veg.
 
Mark is a master of still life, you should check out his flickr

too kind sir. I struggle but sometimes come up with results that are at least adequate...

please excuse the digital photo... I'm sorry, I didn't have a lens for the Bronny that was quite right for this shot...

Some Fruity stuff

Ontbijtjes 1 by The Big Yin, on Flickr

And a Twist of Lemon please... by The Big Yin, on Flickr

and maybe the odd flower or two...

Tulips 2 by The Big Yin, on Flickr

Half a Dozen Roses v2 by The Big Yin, on Flickr

even one on fillum...

Five Roses (Portra 160NC) by The Big Yin, on Flickr
 
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To be honest I am thinking I need more photos of myself before I die.

My Dad passed away last year and we struggled even to find a photo that could be used for the ceremony. We have very little photos of him at all. Even photos that the kids had taken of him on there phones became very important. He always hid when there was a camera around.

I would hate my kids to not have any when it’s my time to go.
 
How about donating your collection to a picture library or may a newspaper?
I was really sad to find my mentors collection of negatives and photos/prints all went out into a dustbin, back in the late 70s long before digital.
I spent hours looking through his mainly B&W pictures taken throughthe1900s taken during and after the wars. Bomb damaged buildings Bull ring centre nd even parts of London.
I’m sure the Birmingham Mail would have been interested in some of them for the archives.
 
To be honest I am thinking I need more photos of myself before I die.

My Dad passed away last year and we struggled even to find a photo that could be used for the ceremony. We have very little photos of him at all. Even photos that the kids had taken of him on there phones became very important. He always hid when there was a camera around.

I would hate my kids to not have any when it’s my time to go.

Well I have lots of family shots and I'm not in many of them...as I was the only photographer :(
 
Well I have lots of family shots and I'm not in many of them...as I was the only photographer :(

I joke to my wife that, if I die, they'll need to hire a police artist to sketch me from their description. Either that or they can use a selfie where half my face is obscured by an SLR. :D
 
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