Phillip Toledano’s Inspiring Photography

I’m excited to share my boyfriend’s current photography obsession. It’s a heartbreaking photo essay by Phillip Toledano called Days With My Father.

Phillip's dad, a former actor, has lost his short-term memory. He has no recollection of his wife’s sudden death or attending her funeral. Phillip couldn’t bear repeating the story of his mother’s death every time his father asked about her, so he started telling his dad that she went to Paris to take care of her sick brother.

The solemn photos document Mr. Toledano’s mundane activities—looking out the window, reading the newspaper, sitting on the toilet.

An especially tragic picture captures the old man looking in the mirror. Phillip writes, “When he looks in the mirror, he sees a man ravaged, a man no longer beautiful, and that upsets him deeply.”

Another shows his notebook. In it, he’s written, “I want to think seriously about what I can accomplish with what’s left of my life.”

After you recover from Days With My Father, check out the rest of Phillip Toledano’s work.