cu·ri·os·i·ty
noun
desire to know, interest leading to inquiry
noun
desire to know, interest leading to inquiry
Family Journeys was born out of curiosity to explore the meaning of family, of togetherness, as well as of shared time and space. Each exploration to date has fueled a desire to create a visual record. A record that ideally holds interest to my own family but can also stimulate thoughts about life and love more universally. A document that elicits memories and reminds us of the joy of togetherness and sharing time and space with people close and apart.
Mom watches the sunset on the promenade in Westerland. Sylt, Germany, June 16, 2018.
Mom and dad walk on the beach from Wenningstedt to Westerland. Sylt, Germany, June 21, 2018.
Dad waits for mom to catch up on the hike up the Ahorn mountain. Mayrhofen, Austria, October 10, 2018.
Dad shows a clamshell he found on the beach. Westerland, Germany, May 23, 2019.
Mom reaches the top of the stairs to the promenade after a beach walk. Domburg, Netherlands, October 10, 2019.
After long walks on the island of Norderney, mom and dad wait for the ferry’s departure back to the mainland. Here, they sit in the observation area on the upper deck. Norderney, Germany, March 5, 2020.
Mom and Christoph hunt fruit flies. Oberhausen, Germany, March 24, 2020.
fam·i·ly
noun
the basic unit in society traditionally consisting of two parents rearing their children
a group of people feeling emotionally strongly connected — companionship, fellowship
noun
the basic unit in society traditionally consisting of two parents rearing their children
a group of people feeling emotionally strongly connected — companionship, fellowship
Accra, Ghana. Berlin, Germany. Hamden, CT, U.S.A. I've always been away from my family. Always come back and never stayed out of contact, thanks to 21st-century technology.
When my move to Prague started knocking at the door, however, the permanency of my adventures reached new heights. Though I've been away farther, the realization of changing times and finality of time and life itself crept into my thoughts.
Maybe it was the sorting of old family pictures that started it all.
We've always been a *snap-happy* family. The thousands of negatives and prints in my parents' basement prove as much. Family pictures dating back to the 1970s and some even documenting various branches of the family predating mine. All chaotically sorted into envelopes — one roll at a time.
They include happy memories of places once familiar, and how earlier versions of us enjoyed sharing those places together as a family.
Dad checks a map of the area for the next day's explorations while mom eats yogurt. Westerland, Sylt, Germany, June 17, 2018.
Dad checks the fit of his hat on a windy day. Sylt, Germany, June 21, 2018.
While emptying the dishwasher, mom talks with daughter Ann-Kristin, who lives 75 km away in Cologne, on the phone, an important activity to keep in touch not only but especially during stay-at-home orders. Oberhausen, Germany, March 15, 2020.
Mom, dad, and Christoph exchange the news of the day at an afternoon coffee break in the early stages of stay-at-home orders during the COVID-19 pandemic. Oberhausen, Germany, March 18, 2020.
The Schoppmeier family at home during the early stay-at-home phase of the COVID-19 pandemic. Here, Christoph and dad bake waffles while mom whips cream in the background. Oberhausen, Germany, March 29, 2020.
Easter preparations in times of a pandemic. Here, dad and mom start coloring the Easter eggs. Oberhausen, Germany, April 12, 2020.
Mom, Christoph, and dad talk with Ann-Kristin via video call. The stay-at-home orders of the COVID-19 pandemic made a face-to-face birthday gathering impossible. Oberhausen, Germany, April 19, 2020.
to·geth·er·ness
noun
a state or feeling of closeness and happiness among people who are together as friends, family members, etc.
the pleasant feeling of being united with other people in friendship and understanding
noun
a state or feeling of closeness and happiness among people who are together as friends, family members, etc.
the pleasant feeling of being united with other people in friendship and understanding
Pictures are time capsules. They allow children glimpses into their lost childhoods. They show children their parents as they've never met them. They offer all of us a way to remember and be remembered. History can come back to life because someone bothered to record it.
My family's *snap-happiness* ended at some point in the early 2000s. We kids grew up, the vacations stopped. The sharing of time and space as a family changed forever. At home, in thoughts and by virtual assistance, less prominent.
My own move to Prague awakened the urge in me to preserve those old memories, waiting to be shared anew from the confinements of those envelopes collecting dust in the basement. But also the urge to take over the mantle of the chronicler of *the new family life*.
I'm fortunate to have been allowed to be present for five chapters of this new family life. And it's this small, little word — togetherness — that my thoughts return to often in my work on this project.
While mom watches the sunset, dad takes a picture of the beach panorama on the promenade in Westerland. Sylt, Germany, June 16, 2018.
Mom and dad look over the ocean before starting an evening walk along the promenade in Westerland. Sylt, Germany, June 20, 2018.
During an evening stroll along the promenade in Westerland, mom and dad stand together as the sun sets over the North Sea. Sylt, June 21, 2018.
After a quick breakfast snack at an autobahn rest stop, mom hands dad a cup of coffee. Germany, May 21, 2019.
Having reached the pond in Wenningstedt on their way home from the Braderuper Heide, mom photographs dad fastening his shoelaces. Sylt, Germany, May 25, 2019.
Mom and dad relax at the end of a day of exploring the area. Norddeich, Germany, March 4, 2020.
Mom and dad have breakfast at home. Oberhausen, Germany, March 28, 2020
time
noun
the measured or measurable period during which an action, process, or condition exists or continues — duration
the point or period when something occurs — occasion
an appointed, fixed, or customary moment or hour for something to happen, begin, or end
an opportune or suitable momen
the present time
noun
the measured or measurable period during which an action, process, or condition exists or continues — duration
the point or period when something occurs — occasion
an appointed, fixed, or customary moment or hour for something to happen, begin, or end
an opportune or suitable momen
the present time
I cherish every moment of this project, for it allows me time with my parents. They've kindly invited me into their new-found privacy as a couple. That's nothing I take for granted, and I'm hugely grateful for the chance to go where they go; observing, thinking, learning, and photographing along the way.
Family Journeys at its core really is a record of time and space in a couple's life. Being together, exploring places new and old, enjoying the shared experience of having time for one another, a place, and life.
Traveling. Another theme present in my explorations. Each and every chapter thus far has brought my thoughts back to previous family travels to the same or similar regions.
Being away from home, moving around, taking in foreign surroundings in an attempt to make them familiar. Being on the road, mobile, and away allows time to think about home, too.
Mom and dad sit down for breakfast at the cottage in Mayrhofen. Austria, October 9, 2018.
Mom and dad return to the cottage from a grocery run in the afternoon. Mayrhofen, Austria, October 9, 2018.
Mom and dad walk in the rain. Sylt, Germany, May 26, 2019.
Mom and dad relax at home. Domburg, Netherlands, October 7, 2019.
Mom and dad found a sign of the early stages of what would soon develop into the COVID-19 pandemic at a local bakery. These cookies in hamster shape are one baker’s response to the onset of panic buying, which in German is called Hamsterkäufe (hamster purchases). Norddeich, Germany, March 5, 2020.
Mom and dad watch tv before dinner. Oberhausen, Germany, April 15, 2020.
space
noun
a limited extent in one, two, or three dimensions — distance, area, volume
the distance from other people or things that a person needs in order to remain comfortable
noun
a limited extent in one, two, or three dimensions — distance, area, volume
the distance from other people or things that a person needs in order to remain comfortable
Space. Life at home. Two themes that have earned a new actuality with the current COVID-19 pandemic.
Grounded at home. There is no excitement because of a new place. It's the good, old home life. In a way, it's been a blessing in dire disguise.
The pictures I've made since getting stuck here, the observations I've been allowed to make, the thoughts that have kept my mind busy, are all special and will be what remains of this pandemic for our family when life returns to normal.
In times like these, it's the little stories between people — family or stranger — that count the most. Therefore, I'm glad to be stuck right where I am, for some important pictures are happening right now.
Mom and dad start a vacation in the Austrian alps with a road trip from Oberhausen to Mayrhofen. Germany, October 7, 2018.
Mom and dad walk in the distance with the mountains of the Hintertux area in the background. Starting their walk at the Hintertux summit station, the destination is the rest station Bichl Alm, before the walk continues back down to the Hintertux valley station. Austria, October 8, 2018.
Dad shows mom the next destination: a snack bar near the summit station on the Ahorn mountain. Mayrhofen, Austria, October 10, 2018.
Dad photographs the sunset. Westerland, Germany, May 22, 2019.
Dad shows mom a pebble he's found on the beach. Domburg, Netherlands, October 8, 2019.
Mom onboard the ferry from Norddeich to Norderney. Another sign of the developing pandemic are the hygiene guidelines posted on the ferry’s screen in the background. Norderney, Germany, March 5, 2020.
Another stay-at-home day, another phone call. Here, mom talks to Ann-Kristin while cleaning the living room windows. Oberhausen, Germany, March 25, 2020
train·ing
noun
the act, process, or method of one that trains
the skill, knowledge, or experience acquired by one that trains
working on one's abilities, trying to become better at doing something — practice
noun
the act, process, or method of one that trains
the skill, knowledge, or experience acquired by one that trains
working on one's abilities, trying to become better at doing something — practice
Lastly, Family Journeys is a training ground — in the best tradition of personal projects. Free from assignment parameters, looming deadlines, daily journalism stress and hectic. Freedom to observe, think, shoot with intent. Freedom to fail. Freedom to experiment and enjoy photography in its purest form.
Dad walks through the shallow water of the North Sea on the way from Wenningstedt to Westerland. Sylt, Germany, June 21, 2018.
Dad checks on mom as they hike through the Ziller valley mountains in Hintertux. Austria, October 8, 2018.
Traveling across Europe, one can't miss the signs of change in the age of the global climate emergency. Windmills have become an element of nature on the continent, defining Europe as a place. Germany, May 21, 2019.
Dad fixes mom's hood that had been blown into disarray by the wind. Westerland, Germany, May 23, 2019.
Family Journeys is a record of my family, a visual reminder that values the bonds of belonging together and sharing not only time but also space together.
It's a small story for the world, yet it's a story that is dear and near to me, a story I gladly pursue as long as I have permission to be there. Because, just as with journalism, it's the small stories that I believe in the most.