• last month
A beloved grandpa who spent his adult life traveling the world, taking amazing amateur photographs of animals and landscapes along the way, is finally getting the recognition he deserves, thanks to the help of his granddaughter. 87-year-old Clyde Elmore recently started struggling with dementia, which has seen him forget where he took some of his stunning images. Clyde worked as a weed scientist, his granddaughter Spencer, 29, said, which saw him document invasive species, weeds and pest management through photos. But when he retired, Clyde dove into wildlife and photography, snapping shots from as far and wide as Mongolia, Iceland, Cambodia, Tanzania and Botswana. Clyde has visited more than 40 countries, Spencer said, but his beautiful works never progressed further than on family members’ walls and in local galleries. When she visited Clyde’s studio one day, Spencer asked Clyde what he planned to do with all his images, to which her grandpa said humbly that he wanted people to see his works and for them to have a lasting impact. And so, Spencer set herself the task of modernizing her grandfather’s photographs – setting up the likes of a website and an Instagram page and sharing videos of the journey on social media. She also shared the emotional side of things, explaining that due to her grandpa’s condition, he has started to forget where some of his stunning shots were taken in the world. The hard work, however, started to pay off as Clyde’s Instagram page grew to have more than one hundred thousand followers. In the future, people can purchase prints of Clyde’s work, said Spencer, who hopes her grandfather’s success can inspire others with dementia and Alzheimer’s. Mandatory credit: Clyde Elmore Photography / T&T Creative Media
Transcript
00:00She was amazed to discover her grandpa spent a lifetime doing this.
00:0787-year-old Clyde has been to over 40 countries,
00:11taking breathtaking photos at each stop. And although he hasn't stopped traveling,
00:16he has started struggling with dementia. So, while he might not remember the story behind each
00:21snapshot,
00:22he'll always have the portraits as proof of the memories he once had.
00:38Memories he never thought would capture the hearts of others because he never thought his
00:41photos were good enough, until his granddaughter Spencer started sharing them on social media,
00:46where they went viral.
00:52It just doesn't make sense. I have no idea who these people are and they don't know me.
00:58Yes, well, thank you for all of your comments. Some of them I have a very hard time to believe,
01:06but I do appreciate that."
01:08And they'll be selling his prints soon, too,
01:10so they can give back to organizations that hope to end dementia.

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