The Gagnon Sessions

In 1974, my Uncle Don (my step-father's sister's then-husband) was into photography. I didn't know him very well, as he and Leslie lived in Beacon Hill, in Ottawa's east end, while we lived in the Borden Farm area of Parkwood Hills, to the southwest end of the city.

We seemed to only get together when we visited at my step-father's parent's house (also in Parkwood Hills-Borden Farm) or we entertained them at our house, and at that point, the grownups didn't interact very much with the kids. All I really knew about Don Gagnon was that he was a firefighter for the city.

I learned about his interest in photography when my folks packed my younger sister Jen and me up, and we drove out to Beacon Hill for a visit (my older sister, Holly, had other plans that day). Before we left the house, my father (as I've called him for decades now) took the time to blow-dry my hair, which was usually all over the place. He told us that we had to look our best because Uncle Don was going to take our photos.

Don had recently purchased some lighting equipment for his camera. He had an interest in photography and wanted to try capturing portraits as possibly a side business for when he wasn't putting out fires. He wanted to try his hand at family portraits and head shots, and wanted to practice with us.

We were his Guinea pigs.

Not only did Don shoot the photos, he also developed the black-and-white film and printed the images. For the head-shot photos, he dodged around the head to get rid of any distractions or background noise. On that day, I wore a pale-blue t-shirt with Honda printed in red and an image of a motorcycle. At the time, I had a Honda mini-bike and this shirt was one of my faves.

I wasn't told how to dress for this shoot. Neither was my father, as he was dressed in cut-off jeans and a plain, dark t-shirt (possibly navy blue, but my memory may be off and all of the photos were shot in black and white). Jen was dressed casual but looked fine.

Forty-eight years later, I look at these photos and I think that they are really good. The exposure is spot on and the focus is tight. Don used a western-themed backdrop with a horse, with us sitting below it. While I wouldn't have put as much emphasis on the background, myself, I can see what he was trying to do.

For the head shot, again the exposure was really good. It's probably the best photo that I have of my nine-year-old self. Both shots were printed on 8 x 10 sheets of photo paper.

I look at these photos, today, and remember them as the Gagnon Sessions. While I don't think that Don ever made a side business of portrait photography—he and Les eventually split up, and Don died years later from cancer (possibly, work-related)—he did take some great photos that day.

Who knows? Maybe Don's interest in photography rubbed off on me, even though this photo, and the ones he took at later sessions were but brief snapshots of my life.

Happy Thursday!