Family Photo

About a year ago, fashion photographer Ola Rindal left Paris, where he had worked for twenty years, for the tiny village in Norway where he was raised. Unlike most photographers in fashion, Ola is gentle and taciturn, a tall man who favors simple clothing. Deeply intrigued by his personality and his photographs, which channel light in the most sensitive of ways, I made a point of asking him to shoot for me every few years, when I found myself in Paris from Japan and was in need of a photographer.

Ola has a beautiful Japanese wife. When I remembered that he had a couple of children, we asked if he’d be willing to photograph his family at their home, if we sent them an assortment of clothes that they could wear however they liked. OK, he answered straightaway.

After several weeks of anticipation, we were delighted to receive about 100 photographs depicting Ola, who looked the same as ever, and his wonderful family. These photos are not so much fashion as documentary. More romantic than Paris; perhaps even slightly sentimental. The photos of Ola himself were taken by his wife Madoka, while the shot of Ola and Madoka together was taken by a friend who happened to stop by.

I could look at these photographs for hours and they would never get old. It’s hard to explain how someone else’s family can elicit such an intensely heartfelt response. Ola and I are friends, though not actually that close. Even so, thanks to his sincere approach, and the gorgeous quality of light only his eye could capture, I could look at these photographs forever.

It made me realize how long it’s been since I’ve taken any photographs of my own family. It also served as a reminder of how crucial it is that we look after our second family—the neighbors who are as close as it gets. I’ve had enough cell phone photos. It’s time I dusted off my old camera, the one that I used all the time back in the day.