I recently discovered that some of my optical backups (CDs and DVDs) are dying. Some files are getting corrupted and its imperative that I save the past, so to speak. After working from my duplicate backups I’ve been perusing some of these treasures. What I’m learning is that I’ve come a long way from where I was back in 1999. Many images and portraits I look back on and am amazed they were published. Of course I need to cut myself some slack because this is veteran me looking back on rookie me. I’m sure Kobe Bryant looks back at tapes from his past and has a similar experience.
This image though caught my eye. It was the second deployment I covered in 1999. This was a group of Michigan C-17s that were being sent overseas. I’m not sure where they were headed. I’m guessing at Bosnia. This mother and child though stopped me as I was flipping through the pictures. Their names are lost to me, they aren’t in the IPTC, but the looks on their faces tell the story to me. In the years since I’ve covered more returning soldiers, and soldiers funerals than deployments. And I hope to cover fewer of all three in the next ten years or so.
This such a great shot! I hope you can save all of your past work. That's more than a bit scary. ::luck::