My dead dad
This past year I was part of a project that is entirely unique and special to this world. My niece Olivia’s father, Christopher Gray, had a death wish to become a skeleton. He died unexpectedly a month after expressing this wish, and Olivia and her brother honored his request and made him into a skeleton. Olivia asked me to accompany her on the journey to pick the skeleton up from DC and deliver it to her father’s alma mater high school in New Hampshire. She asked me if I could take a few snaps along the way to commemorate this crazy journey. I of course was IN…and so excited about this road trip. A few hours later, Olivia and I chatted again, and each of us slowly voiced that this should be something MORE…like a MOVIE…
A few weeks later, all the balls started rolling. A production team was behind the project and dates and maps were drawn out to begin the journey that would be documented with a film crew. It was decided to be a short doc and we knew it would be amazing.
And that it was. We spent a total of 10 days or so shooting footage that would later be edited, scored, and submitted to film festivals. In January we heard back from the Santa Barbara Film Festival and it was decided that that was where it would have its world premiere.
I just got back from there and it was the experience of a lifetime. As was this road trip itself. As was ALL OF IT. Words cannot describe how lucky I feel to have been a part of it all. It was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and I am so so excited to have this experience in my life.
The photographs I have from this journey are indescribable and some of the most beautiful images I have ever shot. To have this in my portfolio is beyond special and I cannot wait to do something big with these images someday. Maybe a coffee table book, maybe a gallery show, who knows! But SOMETHING!
I want to take a moment to let you in on something personal about this gallery you are about to see. Before this journey started, I prayed to God to help me beautifully capture the skeleton. I asked for help in making the skeleton come ALIVE. I believe my prayers were answered. As you look at these photos, notice how Christopher Skeleton (what I call him) seems to be smiling. Notice how in some photos, he leans a certain way to make it look like he is listening. Or glances in JUST the right direction…
Incredible if you ask me. <3
