Retouching

flash non-fiction

Now that I have retired, I have a little more time to do some of the things I have been wanting to do.  I recently found a way to make digital copies of some of the old 35 mm color slides my mother used to have.  These slides were among the things I brought back from her house after she was buried.  The old, faded pictures with all their scratches and spots that had to be individually restored.

 

While I was engrossed in this process of retouching the images I clicked on the next thumbnail, and I discovered, unexpectedly, that it was a photo of my mother retouching negatives.  She was leaning over, as she looked through the magnifying glass, sharp pencil in hand, to remove all blemishes and faults from the negatives…to make these studio photos look as good as possible for each individual.

 

I had watched her do this all through my childhood…as far back as I can remember.  The memories crowded around me as I meticulously retouched the photo of my mother retouching

 

Removing all blemishes…preserving the legacy…re-touching.

Reviews

[Samuel Dickens]

There's probably a word for this experience, but I don't know it. Several times now, I've told people that I've become my father. I took lots of slides in the seventies, and know of this gizmo that lets you turn them into prints. The feeling you had when you found yourself mirroring the image of your mother must have been unique and strong. Though our vision may fade with age, we somehow see better. A really excellent work, Clyde.

[Clyde Grauke]

Thank you for the very nice review. I like your sentence, "Though our vision may fade with age, we somehow see better." It seems to me that the addition of the nuance of the inner vision and resonance can only be bought with experience.

[cest la vie]

Beautiful...no other words I can say ..

[Emily B]

isn't that what we do . . . varnishing our histories and our memories until they sparkle with perfection?