When you think of the Olympics you usually think of athletes in top physical form performing feats of strength, agility and grace better than anyone else in the world. Among these athletes there are the best of the best that earn medals. However, outside the Olympic hype and spotlight the regular athletes of the world performing at an average to below average level are often forgotten. But, these athletes are no less important than Olympians. Each bit of effort among any individual is a win and worthy of praise, whether self-praise as a feeling of accomplishment or public sportsmanship after a game.

In photographic terms the Olympians of all time would be those photographers we know best: Cartier-Bresson, Stieglitz, Strand, Arbus, Adams, Eisenstadt, Lange, Leibowitz and many many others.  As photographers, we know them so well by last name we hardly need to match the Henri, Alfred, Paul, Diane, Ansel, Alfred, Dorothea and Annie’s first name to their last. They and others would be the medal winners if there was such a thing as the Olympics of Photography.

But the photographers of their own families, such as the Handelman, Berman, Cutler and others, are no less important. Unless you know their family, you wouldn’t know the first name. The family photographer, whether talented or not, records family events for future generations to enjoy. At the time of the picture being taken few realize or think about the future importance of what they are documenting. Perhaps the family photographer has this feeling just by the action of taking out the camera and choosing to capture the moment. My guess is that fewer photographers realize the importance to the future family some of these captured snapshots can take on half a century later.

I was reminded of the importance of snapshots as I was assembling a digital slideshow for a friend’s 50th birthday. The stack of pictures provided were snapshots taken with simple affordable cameras that had no focus or exposure control. They were simple pictures from very simple equipment – no medal winners in the bunch by the Olympics of Photography standards. Despite the technical deficiencies the pictures represented significant moments in the life of the family such as birthdays, vacations, prom, holidays, graduations and many other important family events. Assembled together, covering the span of 50 years, each picture takes on a larger significance that ends up telling the story of someone’s life. Individually none qualify for the Olympics of Photography but to the family viewing them they’re pure gold.