Photography has been my passion ever since I was old enough to pick up a camera, but today I want to share with you the 15 most treasured photos of mine, and I didn't take any of them. There were no art directors, no stylists, no chance for reshoots, not even any regard for lighting. In fact, most of them were taken by random tourists.
Bhí dúil agam sa bhfótagrafaíocht ón uair a bhí mé in ann ceamara a phiocadh suas, ach inniu ba mhaith liom na 15 grianghraif is ansa liom, a roinnt libh agus níor thóg mé aon cheann acu. Ní raibh aon stiúrthóirí ealaíne nó stílíthe ann ní raibh deis chun iad a thógáil arís, gan trácht ar an soilsiú. Mar a tharla sé, thóg turasóirí fánacha an chuid is mó acu.
My story begins when I was in New York City for a speaking engagement, and my wife took this picture of me holding my daughter on her first birthday. We're on the corner of 57th and 5th. We happened to be back in New York exactly a year later, so we decided to take the same picture.
Tosaíonn mo scéal féin nuair a bhí mé i Nua Eabhrac le haghaidh coinne óráide, agus thóg mo bhean an grianghriaf dom lem' iníon i mo bhaclainn agam ar a céad breithlá. Táimid ar an gcúinne idir 57ú agus 5ú. Mar a tharla sé, bhíomar ar ais i Nua Eabhrac an bhliain dár gcionn, agus bheartaíomar an grianghraif céanna a thógáil.
Well you can see where this is going. Approaching my daughter's third birthday, my wife said, "Hey, why don't you take Sabina back to New York and make it a father-daughter trip, and continue the ritual?" This is when we started asking passing tourists to take the picture.
Feiceann sibh anois cad a tharla ina dhiaidh sin. Ag druidim i dtreo tríú bhreithlá m'iníonsa, dúirt mo bhean liom "Cén fáth nach dteann tú ar ais go Nua Eabhrac le Sabina agus turas d'athair agus d'iníon a dhéanamh as, agus leanfaidh sibh ar aghaidh leis an traidisiún? B'in an uair a thosaíomar ag iarraidh ar turasóirí fánacha an grianghraif a thógail.
You know, it's remarkable how universal the gesture is of handing your camera to a total stranger. No one's ever refused, and luckily no one's ever run off with our camera.
Tá sé suntasach cé chomh uilíoch is atá sé do cheamara a thabhairt do dhuine nach bhfuil aithne ar bith agat orthu. 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. It's really become sacred to us. This one was taken just weeks after 9/11, and I found myself trying to explain what had happened that day in ways a five-year-old could understand.
Ag an am sin, ní raibh fhios againn cé chomh mór a rachadh an turas seo i bhfeidhm orainn. Tá sé fíorthabhachtach dúinn anois. Togadh an ceann seo cúpla seachtain díreach i ndiaidh 9/11, agus thug mé faoi deara go raibh mé ag iarraidh eachtraí an lae a mhiniú ar bhealach a thuigeadh páiste.
So these photos are far more than proxies for a single moment, or even a specific trip. They're also ways for us to freeze time for one week in October and reflect on our times and how we change from year to year, and not just physically, but in every way. Because while we take the same photo, our perspectives change, and she reaches new milestones, and I get to see life through her eyes, and how she interacts with and sees everything. This very focused time we get to spend together is something we cherish and anticipate the entire year.
Mar sin, ní hionann na grianghraifeanna seo agus moimint amháin, nó turas faoi leith. Is bealach iad chun am a chalcadh le haghaidh seachtain amháin i Deireadh Fomhair agus macnamh a dhéanamh ar ar linne agus ar chonas a athraímíd ó bhliain go bliain, ní hamháin go fisiciúil, ach i ngach ghné. Mar nuair a thógaimid an grianghraf céanna, athraíonn ár dearcthaí, agus baineann sí marcanna nua dá saol amach agus is féidir liom an saol a fhéiceáil trína súile, agus conas a théann sí i ngleic le gach rud. Is aoibhinn linn an t-am fócasaithe a chaithimid le chéile agus bímid ag tnúth leis an bhliain ar fad.
Recently, on one trip, we were walking, and she stops dead in her tracks, and she points to a red awning of the doll store that she loved when she was little on our earlier trips. And she describes to me the feeling she felt as a five-year-old standing in that exact spot. She said she remembers her heart bursting out of her chest when she saw that place for the very first time nine years earlier. And now what she's looking at in New York are colleges, because she's determined to go to school in New York. And it hit me: One of the most important things we all make are memories.
Le déanaí, ar thuras amháin, bhíomar ag siúil, agus stop sí ina seasamh, agus shín sí a méar chuig tairseach dearg siopa na bábóige a thaithin go mór léi nuair a bhí sí níos óige ar ár dturais níos luaithe. Agus cuireann sí in iúl dom conas mar a bhraith sí ar an láithreán sin agus í ina páiste de chúig bhliana d'aois. Dúirt sí go gcuimhin léi a croí ag léimt amach as a hucht nuair a chonaic sí an áit sin don chéad uair naoi bhliain níos luaithe. Anois is é atá á lorg aici in Nua Eabhrac ná coláistí, mar tá sí cinnte go bhfreastalóidh sí ar scoil i Nua Eabhrac. Agus buail smaoineamh mé: Ceann de na rudaí is tabhachtaí a chruthaímid ná cuimhní.
So I want to share the idea of taking an active role in consciously creating memories. I don't know about you, but aside from these 15 shots, I'm not in many of the family photos. I'm always the one taking the picture. So I want to encourage everyone today to get in the shot, and don't hesitate to go up to someone and ask, "Will you take our picture?" Thank you. (Applause)
Mar sin, ba mhaith liom nós a roint libh: go nglacfaidh sibh ról gníomhach i gcruthú cuimhní. N'fheadar cad fúibhse, ach lasmuigh de na 15 ghrianghraif seo, nílim i mórán de na grianghraif teaghlaigh. Is mise a thógann na grianghraif i gconaí. Mar sin, ba mhaith liom chuile duine anseo inniu a spreagadh chun a bheith sa ghrianghraif, agus ná bíodh drogall oraibh labhairt le duine éigint agus "An féidir leat ár ngrianghraf a thógáil" a chur orthu. Go raibh maith agaibh (Bualadh bos)