My parents both work in advertising photography. My father is one of
the most famous commercial photographers in the country. My mother
manages the business. They started from practically nothing and built
a very successful business. Their partnership works. My father is
passionate about his work and enjoys creating beautiful images. My
mother makes sure that the company runs smoothly.

My father will probably take pictures until it is physically
impossible to do so. I don’t think he’ll willingly retire. My mother,
on the other hand, does the behind-the-scenes work so that my father
can pursue his dream. She looks forward to a quiet retirement and time
to read, write, knit, think, dream… Still, as long as my father
wants to shoot, she’ll be there keeping the company running. I think
that’s really wonderful of her, although I wish she could pursue her
dreams more often. I think she really enjoys travelling, reading
poems, and seeing beautiful landscapes.

I am the youngest of three children. Our house has always been part of
the office, so my sisters and I grew up watching them work. Our
passions lie elsewhere. Ching used to be an IT manager at Proctor and
Gamble before transferring to HP because of the company move. Kathy’s
interested in photography, but is thinking of being a flight
attendant. I really love teaching.

Kathy is the most likely successor to the business, but she doesn’t
really see herself doing advertising photography right now. We’d
rather see the employees inherit the business because great business
requires great passion. G-nie looks like she’ll do a great job, and
she’s learned a lot from my father. My mom will be hard to replace,
though.

We never felt pressured to join the family business. Our parents are
open about the different paths we want to take. Sometimes, though, I
worry about what will happen when the torch must be passed. I don’t
want to see Adphoto dissolve because there are so many people who have
worked there almost all their lives, and I just can’t imagine them
looking for work anywhere else. I know, however, that I’m ill-suited
for the job – at least if I want to pursue my own dreams.

Stuff to think about.