The camera club in my hometown was a small affair, made up largely of senior citizens. There was a smaller sub-circle of them that got together for coffee on Tuesday mornings. I was the youngest by far. Three of them are no longer with us. Taking a moment to commemorate two of them here with candids I shot during those gatherings.
Clyde on T-Max by Leigh, on Flickr
This is Clyde. He was the eldest and in the poorest health, having suffered a stroke, but he enjoyed being out with us and eating what his wife probably would not allow him to eat. This is was one of his rare, more animate and articulate moments in a pretty animated morning for him. Clyde was a professional photographer in his day, and had just finished telling us a story about how he'd blown up a photo of sailboats shot with a Pentax 50mm to a giant print. He was not pleased with the sharpness, but his client was. Sadly, Clyde passed away after being confined to a retirement home away from everything that was familiar to him. I was sorry never to have the opportunity to visit him there. (Nikon FE2, 85mm f/2 AIS, T-Max 400)
Larry on T-Max by Leigh, on Flickr
Larry was one of the kindest and most optimistic men I've ever known. Not young himself, Larry was the one that drove Clyde to the meets and home again. He was endearingly somewhat shy about his appearance, so it took work to get photos of him. Gradually failing health never dimmed his optimism right until the end.