When I heard about a contest for photos taken with your dad, I felt excited and decided to join. Our house is filled with pictures—one wall is practically a photo gallery—so I thought it would be easy to find a picture of me with my dad.
I went home, heart fluttering, and began searching through drawers and flipping through all our photo albums. But to my surprise, no matter how many pictures I looked at, I couldn’t find a single photo of just the two of us.
“Where are all the pictures of me and Dad? There are so many photos, but none with Dad in them!” I exclaimed.
That’s when my dad quietly said,
“I’m not in the pictures because I was always the one taking them.”
My heart sank. Of course. He had always been the person behind the camera—capturing every moment, making sure we looked our best—yet never appearing in the frame himself. I had been too busy shouting “cheese!” and striking silly poses, while Dad smiled behind the lens, preserving our memories.
So I made a new resolution: “Take a photo with Dad.” And I kept it. I took his hand and led him to a self-photo booth. I had taken photo-booth pictures with friends before, but never imagined going with my dad. It felt new and exciting. While Dad stood there a little puzzled, I quickly inserted the coins. As the shutter clicked rapidly, Dad looked confused—unsure where to look or how to pose. Even after the photos printed, he stared at them blankly for a moment. Then, he gave a shy little smile.
“I’ve always been the one taking photos . . . being in them feels strange,” he said quietly.
Hearing that, I felt both grateful and a little sorry. Had I taken his quiet sacrifices for granted all these years? I realized how much he had done for our family without asking for anything in return. So now, I’ve made up my mind: I’ll be the one behind the shutter—so our collection of photos with Dad can finally grow.