Portrait Of A Family

Who would have thought that buried under my mums bed, behind the ever reliable stock pile of "but they are just so cute" travel sized cosmetics, and just to the left of my rather large, and sadly no-longer-played-with Lego collection lurked a little porthole to the past. The time portal in question takes form as a box of photographic slides from my families past. Amongst these little square windows into the past of the people 'wot made me' is proof of a number of things.
a) My grandparents knew how to party, and liked to exhibit this skill on the regular.
b) My Dads beard was, much to my disappointment, far fuller, and far less fiery than my own.
c) Film cameras are in fact the physical embodiment of romance.
d) The Reas/Wilkinson family are ever so hip. (but we already knew that)

Rummaging through these photos, gave me a wonderful sense of family, and belonging to a big and ever continuing story that rumbles on through time in a crazy, eccentric style that 'us lot' seem to have perfected.

It terrifies me how many similarities a twenty-something Paul Reas shares with this twenty-something Tom Reas. Some of the pictures of my dad I'm still not convinced aren't actually me in dreadful 70's woolly jumpers found in the newly discovered treasure chest that is the dark side of my mothers bed.

The following photos are full of characters, some familiar to me, some less so. Some still with us, and some sadly passed. They have a real warmth and comfort about them. Which is captured beautifully by (in most cases) Dads young, but already recognisable photographic eye.

Enjoy....