ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Steven Addis - Brand strategist
Steven Addis is a father and photography buff who, by day, harnesses the power of branding for social change.

Why you should listen

In the late ‘80s, Steven Addis imagined a creative agency that merged strategy and design, breaking down the walls between strategists, copywriters and designers. That vision evolved into Addis Creson, a brand strategy firm set on creating positive change by working with clients to market meaningful products and to improve their social benefit. The firm is behind the rapid rise of Kashi, the naming of Shutterfly and the launching of the sustainably raised salmon brand, Verlasso.

A photographer, film buff and writer, Addis began documenting the evolution of branding as the online world took shape. An avid traveler and supporter of the arts, he also advises businesses and non-profits through board work for the UC Berkeley Art Museum & Pacific Film Archive and MapLight.

More profile about the speaker
Steven Addis | Speaker | TED.com
TED2012

Steven Addis: A father-daughter bond, one photo at a time

Steven Addis: Nasc Athar-iníne, grianghraf i ndiaidh grianghraif

Filmed:
1,553,695 views

Is fada ón lá a sheas Steve Addis ar chúinne lena iníon ina bhaclainn aige, nuair a thóg a bhean grianghraf dóibh. D'eascraigh deasghnách athar-iníne as an íomha sin, ina athchrúthaíonn Addis agus an iníon aige an grianghraf céanna, ar an gcúinne céanna gach uile bhliain. Roineann Addis 15 ghrianghraf maoineach ón sraith linn, agus léiríonn sé cén fáth go bhfuil an deasgnáth beag leantach seo chomh tábhachtach dó.
- Brand strategist
Steven Addis is a father and photography buff who, by day, harnesses the power of branding for social change. Full bio

Double-click the English transcript below to play the video.

00:16
Photography has been my passion
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Bhí dúil agam sa bhfótagrafaíocht
00:17
ever since I was old enough to pick up a camera,
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ón uair a bhí mé in ann ceamara a phiocadh suas,
00:20
but today I want to share with you
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ach inniu ba mhaith liom
00:23
the 15 most treasured photos of mine,
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na 15 grianghraif is ansa liom, a roinnt libh
00:26
and I didn't take any of them.
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agus níor thóg mé aon cheann acu.
00:27
There were no art directors, no stylists,
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Ní raibh aon stiúrthóirí ealaíne nó stílíthe ann
00:30
no chance for reshoots, not even any regard for lighting.
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ní raibh deis chun iad a thógáil arís,
gan trácht ar an soilsiú.
00:35
In fact, most of them were taken by random tourists.
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Mar a tharla sé, thóg turasóirí fánacha
an chuid is mó acu.
00:39
My story begins
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Tosaíonn mo scéal féin
00:41
when I was in New York City for a speaking engagement,
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nuair a bhí mé i Nua Eabhrac
le haghaidh coinne óráide,
00:43
and my wife took this picture of me holding my daughter
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agus thóg mo bhean an grianghriaf dom
lem' iníon i mo bhaclainn agam
00:46
on her first birthday. We're on the corner of 57th and 5th.
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ar a céad breithlá. Táimid ar an gcúinne idir 57ú agus 5ú.
00:50
We happened to be back in New York exactly a year later,
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Mar a tharla sé, bhíomar ar ais i Nua Eabhrac
an bhliain dár gcionn,
00:54
so we decided to take the same picture.
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agus bheartaíomar an grianghraif céanna a thógáil.
00:57
Well you can see where this is going.
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Feiceann sibh anois cad a tharla ina dhiaidh sin.
00:59
Approaching my daughter's third birthday,
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Ag druidim i dtreo tríú bhreithlá m'iníonsa,
01:01
my wife said, "Hey, why don't you take Sabina back to New York
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dúirt mo bhean liom "Cén fáth nach dteann tú ar ais go Nua Eabhrac le Sabina
01:04
and make it a father-daughter trip, and continue the ritual?"
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agus turas d'athair agus d'iníon a dhéanamh as, agus leanfaidh sibh ar aghaidh leis an traidisiún?
01:08
This is when we started asking passing tourists to take the picture.
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B'in an uair a thosaíomar ag iarraidh ar turasóirí fánacha an grianghraif a thógail.
01:11
You know, it's remarkable how universal
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Tá sé suntasach cé chomh uilíoch is atá sé
01:14
the gesture is of handing your camera to a total stranger.
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do cheamara a thabhairt do dhuine nach bhfuil aithne ar bith agat orthu.
01:17
No one's ever refused, and luckily no one's ever run off with our camera.
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Níor dhiúltaigh éinne ríomh, agus tá an t-ádh orainn nár goideadh an ceamara uainn.
01:22
Back then, we had no idea how much this trip would change our lives.
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Ag an am sin, ní raibh fhios againn cé chomh mór a rachadh an turas seo i bhfeidhm orainn.
01:26
It's really become sacred to us.
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Tá sé fíorthabhachtach dúinn anois.
01:28
This one was taken just weeks after 9/11,
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Togadh an ceann seo
cúpla seachtain díreach i ndiaidh 9/11,
01:30
and I found myself trying to explain what had happened that day
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agus thug mé faoi deara
go raibh mé ag iarraidh eachtraí an lae
01:35
in ways a five-year-old could understand.
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a mhiniú ar bhealach a thuigeadh páiste.
01:37
So these photos are far more than proxies
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Mar sin, ní hionann na grianghraifeanna seo
01:40
for a single moment, or even a specific trip.
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agus moimint amháin, nó turas faoi leith.
01:43
They're also ways for us to freeze time
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Is bealach iad chun am a chalcadh
01:46
for one week in October
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le haghaidh seachtain amháin i Deireadh Fomhair
01:50
and reflect on our times
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agus macnamh a dhéanamh ar ar linne
01:53
and how we change from year to year,
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agus ar chonas a athraímíd ó bhliain go bliain,
01:55
and not just physically, but in every way.
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ní hamháin go fisiciúil, ach i ngach ghné.
01:58
Because while we take the same photo,
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Mar nuair a thógaimid an grianghraf céanna,
02:00
our perspectives change,
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athraíonn ár dearcthaí,
02:02
and she reaches new milestones,
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agus baineann sí marcanna nua dá saol amach
02:06
and I get to see life through her eyes,
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agus is féidir liom an saol a fhéiceáil trína súile,
02:08
and how she interacts with and sees everything.
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agus conas a théann sí i ngleic le gach rud.
02:13
This very focused time we get to spend together
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Is aoibhinn linn an t-am fócasaithe a chaithimid le chéile
02:16
is something we cherish and anticipate the entire year.
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agus bímid ag tnúth leis an bhliain ar fad.
02:21
Recently, on one trip, we were walking,
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Le déanaí, ar thuras amháin, bhíomar ag siúil,
02:24
and she stops dead in her tracks,
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agus stop sí ina seasamh,
02:26
and she points to a red awning of the doll store
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agus shín sí a méar
chuig tairseach dearg siopa na bábóige
02:30
that she loved when she was little
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a thaithin go mór léi nuair a bhí sí níos óige
02:32
on our earlier trips.
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ar ár dturais níos luaithe.
02:35
And she describes to me the feeling she felt
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Agus cuireann sí in iúl dom conas mar a bhraith sí
02:37
as a five-year-old standing in that exact spot.
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ar an láithreán sin
agus í ina páiste de chúig bhliana d'aois.
02:41
She said she remembers her heart bursting out of her chest
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Dúirt sí go gcuimhin léi a croí ag léimt amach as a hucht
02:44
when she saw that place for the very first time
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nuair a chonaic sí an áit sin don chéad uair
02:46
nine years earlier.
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naoi bhliain níos luaithe.
02:49
And now what she's looking at in New York
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Anois is é atá á lorg aici in Nua Eabhrac
02:51
are colleges,
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ná coláistí,
02:53
because she's determined to go to school in New York.
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mar tá sí cinnte go bhfreastalóidh sí ar scoil
i Nua Eabhrac.
02:56
And it hit me: One of the most important things
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Agus buail smaoineamh mé:
Ceann de na rudaí is tabhachtaí a chruthaímid
02:59
we all make are memories.
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ná cuimhní.
03:03
So I want to share the idea of taking an active role
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Mar sin, ba mhaith liom nós a roint libh:
03:07
in consciously creating memories.
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go nglacfaidh sibh ról gníomhach i gcruthú cuimhní.
03:10
I don't know about you, but aside from these 15 shots,
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N'fheadar cad fúibhse,
ach lasmuigh de na 15 ghrianghraif seo,
03:13
I'm not in many of the family photos.
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nílim i mórán de na grianghraif teaghlaigh.
03:15
I'm always the one taking the picture.
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Is mise a thógann na grianghraif i gconaí.
03:17
So I want to encourage everyone today
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Mar sin, ba mhaith liom chuile duine anseo inniu
03:20
to get in the shot,
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a spreagadh chun a bheith sa ghrianghraif,
03:22
and don't hesitate to go up to someone and ask,
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agus ná bíodh drogall oraibh labhairt le duine éigint
03:25
"Will you take our picture?"
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agus "An féidir leat ár ngrianghraf a thógáil"
a chur orthu.
03:27
Thank you. (Applause)
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Go raibh maith agaibh (Bualadh bos)
Translated by Róisín Healy
Reviewed by Mia Mollie

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ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Steven Addis - Brand strategist
Steven Addis is a father and photography buff who, by day, harnesses the power of branding for social change.

Why you should listen

In the late ‘80s, Steven Addis imagined a creative agency that merged strategy and design, breaking down the walls between strategists, copywriters and designers. That vision evolved into Addis Creson, a brand strategy firm set on creating positive change by working with clients to market meaningful products and to improve their social benefit. The firm is behind the rapid rise of Kashi, the naming of Shutterfly and the launching of the sustainably raised salmon brand, Verlasso.

A photographer, film buff and writer, Addis began documenting the evolution of branding as the online world took shape. An avid traveler and supporter of the arts, he also advises businesses and non-profits through board work for the UC Berkeley Art Museum & Pacific Film Archive and MapLight.

More profile about the speaker
Steven Addis | Speaker | TED.com