‘Silver’ by Tom Nance

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My starting post for this New Year is a special one for two reasons.

The first is for the fine writing of Silver, a reflection on photography, growing up, and one son’s relationship with a parent. Its clear beauty is very much in the fond and tender remembrance of this father introducing his son to the mystique and pragmatics of photography, especially in how personal detail and technical aspects of the photographer’s craft unite so naturally. The deep affection for a Dad, others involved in the learner’s story, and a celebration of the quality of various equipment are merged into a powerful sense of all belonging to one another.

There is both sensitivity and drama in the tracing of being mentored and learning, from awe to adventure to aspiration, this latter illustrated by just a few photographs to present snapshots – no other word will do – of a much larger history: posted along with the Silver text. Mentoring and admiration do go beyond the familial in this overall account, but the father/son core is its foundation.

Humour and music are further vehicles for carrying the narrative along. And all of this creates a strong and palpable sense of who the writer is and what has over time shaped his thoughts and feelings.

Which leads to the second reason for this being so special. The writer, Tom Nance, is my brother, and we have only recently discovered one another – near the end of March, 2019 – after 60+ years. This is an extraordinary story in its own right, and one that might be told at another time, but for now it is a private journey of delightful finding. Silver is, however, a wonderful taste of that personal sharing being made public because it has a much broader interest to convey.

As the writer of this blog I share quite prolifically a sense of who I am, but this posting allows me to complement that with a sense of my brother Tom who is now such a significant part of my story.

This is part of his.

To read Silver and see full-sized images, follow the links below: