Polaroid
Nana (Jo Duke, 95) worked at Polaroid for 28 years. Growing up, she’d tell me stories about managing the customer service department of the instant film icon’s Dallas office, traveling to Boston for meetings, and the kind of genius Dr. Land was. Her passion, combined with rose-colored memories of my parents capturing family moments on 600 film, instilled a love for Polaroid photography in me.
This is my big cousin, Jonathon aka “Coach Ice.” His arms aren’t this big in real life, but I’d still advise against picking a fight with him. Coach Ice is the most athletic person in our family and I’ve always admired his commitment to fitness, health, and competition.
When my original plans for a family photo project didn’t pan out, Jon came to the rescue and posed for this portrait collage.
I love the result, which is reminiscent of Ludacris’s “Get Back” music video. That video was directed by my all-time favorite director, Spike Jonze, and is definitely worth a revisit.
Our only family portrait was taken in 2012. Three teenage boys uninterested in anything resembling a pose wreaked havoc on the poor photographer who considered lunch time fit for a portrait session. The single canvas print of us forcing smiles and squinting in the midday Texas sun sits dwarfed by the home theatre system in our parent’s living room.
I wasn’t a photographer then. None of us had yet become any of the things we are now. But we were officially brothers.
My dad and Dana were married while I was in Germany on tour with the Greater Dallas Youth Orchestra. Hunter charmingly read a crummy speech I wrote and surely got some laughs. I’ve never thought to ask how Austin felt that day.
I am a photographer now and the two of them are much more tolerant of being in front of the camera. For that, I am lucky and we made these images together in my garage. We are also still brothers.
