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The photography of Wes Naman is like no other. It is hilarious, interesting, at times shocking, but never disappointing. We recently covered his Scotch Tape series which had us falling out of our chair with laughter. They are a way fun, wonderfully entertaining gallery of portraits.
On the other side of the pendulum, Wes opens up on a more serious note. No more giggles or silliness, for today, he has a tribute to his father to share with us. A father who just wanted to see his son win.
It’s hard to witness dad like this. He lays in his hospital bed still recovering from surgery. The course of disease wears on the strong body that used to be, now tainted by both parkinsons and neuropathy. His whole life Wes’ dad has fought the battles for him, gone to the front lines to provide a better life. Now more than ever, Wes stands fighting for him.
His father’s name is Woody Naman. He introduced Wes to the magic of photography, something he just kind of picked up capturing the talent of his younger soccer star brother. In general, he appreciates the simpler things in life, and kept it pure with a clean record never smoking, drinking, or doing drugs. An incredibly, intelligent man, he specialized in physicist and did much good treating cancer patients at a hospital in North Carolina. His brain was twice as sharp as any other, his heart greater still.
When Wes was a young adult he had completed college and began to pursue a writing career. With regretful thoughts of not studying photography instead, Wes felt hopeless. He found himself unsettled, unhappy, unproductive, just lost. Did anyone notice? Dad did. Dad had his way of waving the “Wes flag” on the front of his ship. He continued to challenge Wes and offered him a gem at the perfect moment. Wes recounts his father’s generous hand, “My father said he would send me back to school if I thought this was a career I wanted to pursue. If it wasn’t for him I never would have followed through on any of that. I owe every single success and adventure that photography has brought me over the years, to him.”
That my friends, was a win! Disappointments in life will continue to beat on us, make us feel worthless, kind of stuck at times. What an opportunity for dad to prove for the millionth time that he is on our side, wearing our number! Woody Naman is a generous father. His influence on his son’s life carries immeasurable impact. Inside he knew the great potential that stood before him. With a good shove in the right direction, he told Wes “always follow my dreams… he drove home the fact that I need to be my own boss and I have lived by that credo all my life…if it wasn’t for his reassuring I doubt I would be in the place I am now.”
