Dylan Scalet never got the chance to meet his grandfather, Jack Sharp, who passed away before Dylan was born. But in a way, he knows him all the same!
In 2014, Dylan inherited thousands of the photos Jack had captured is his lifetime. But it wasn’t until after the novel coronavirus pandemic began that Dylan found the time to look through and digitize the impressive collection.
What he saw took his breath away, and it’s easy to see why! Take a peek into the past by exploring 13 of Jack’s historic masterpieces below.
1. Jack made his living as an engineer at the CERN laboratories in Geneva, Switzerland. In his free time, he loved snapping candids on the streets.
2. The collection left to Dylan captures everyday life around Europe from more than 50 years ago.
3. “Most of the photos would have been taken around the west of Switzerland like Geneva, Lausanne, and surrounding areas in France,” Dylan explained.
4. Having earned a degree in photography himself, Dylan couldn’t help but notice how talented his grandpa was behind the lens.
5. Dylan spent weeks scanning 5,000 negatives onto his computer – and marveling at Jack’s work.
6. “As I had come to learn about the great photographers like Henri Cartier-Bresson and Vivian Maier, I simply could not believe the images I was seeing as I dived into the archive,” Dylan said.
7. “I knew instantly that these photos were special. Not just because they were my grandfather’s, but because I was able to recognize the beauty of these photographs objectively.”
8. In Jack’s case, his skill came from hard work – not luck!
9. When Jack fell in love with the art form, he dove in headfirst, studying lighting, the mechanisms of cameras, and how to best work in a darkroom.
10. Clearly, his efforts paid off!
11. While Jack never had the opportunity to share his pieces with the world, his grandson is doing it on his behalf.
12. Dylan created an Instagram page in Jack’s honor, where he debuts his grandfather’s work to thousands of adoring fans!
13. We’re sure it would mean the world to Jack to know how proud his grandson is of him!
What a gifted photographer! We know Dylan will cherish these beautiful pieces of his grandfather forever. You can find more of Jack’s amazing shots on Instagram or his website.
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