Posterity
Dan Irving
Morgan and I have known each other for over 30 years, having first met when we were taking photography classes in college. In the course of time, we became very close friends, and he was my best man when I married my wife, Liza, in 2013. When I was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in early 2018, he was one of the first people to offer his support. Morgan came to visit me recently, and we went to a couple places that I’d wanted to photograph for a while. Morgan captured a few images of me while I was photographing the scenes around us. I also wanted him to photograph what I physically look like today as a result of fighting cancer these last five years. There were moments when we had a cry together… I suppose that shouldn’t be a surprise. I realize the images show me in a vulnerable state, and again, that was to be expected. This is what cancer can do to the body, mind, and spirit. I’m continuing to use images to communicate what I see around me. I’m lucky to have understanding friends here to support me on what has been, and continues to be, a very emotional journey.
Morgan Anderson
When Dan called me to tell me about the diagnosis I was driving and I remember it with clarity. Sitting in my parked car, I watched the traffic and felt the steering wheel while he talked. That day I wouldn’t have dared to hope nearly five years later I would be visiting him in Florida, much less making images with him. I hadn’t planned to make photos, just to visit and share hugs with him and Liza. To my surprise, he was up for a sight seeing trip and we naturally grabbed our cameras. Photographing next to him feels so comfortable after years of working professionally side by side. Trains, trees, lifeguard towers, and the Gulf of Mexico were his subjects. He was mine. Dan wanted a document of what he was going through and what it was doing to his body. The mechanics of the process gave me refuge from the sadness of the situation and I was glad for that. Not until I was back home looking through my photos from our time together did it occur to me that they belong next to Dan’s, side by side, just like we’d been. He loved the idea and this set of images, ‘Posterity’ was born.
