As a young girl attending parties with my large Italian-American family, my grandpa would always be in the corner capturing memories. Whether video or pictures, my grandpa’s passion for chronicling the joys of family gatherings became a staple of these celebrations. His artistic vision included both candid moments and portraits of everyone attending. I began assisting him with his infamous activity, often asking him to borrow the camera to offer a childish perspective to torture guests further.

As a result, I received my own Kodak digital camera during Christmas 2008. This series is directly inspired by my grandpa, who chronicled his life and loved ones from 1970 up until his Alzheimer’s diagnosis in 2015. There’s a sort of beautiful irony in how his photography has managed to outlive his memory, and how many people who no longer grace the earth appear in his pictures.