I have had some recent time away from shooting .The short period of three weeks doesn’t compare to the years that spanned 1983 through 2008. I have a go back to when the real magic for me began. The journey really started in the middle sixties. My father would invite his friends over for a typical fifties-sixties cocktail party and dinner. The conclusion of the evening was a slide show followed with cigars, cigarettes and a liquor. The visual fare typically included slides shot during his travels in Europe mainly in west Berlin with my mother to be and his Army buddies.
I viewed so many slide shows before I became a teenager that I could tell you what image was the next in the continually growing inventory of carousels and trays of slides. My father would prepare several days in advance for his party. The Kodak projector would come out. He would begin the review his slides. The routine was typically just going through to make sure none of the cardboard film holders came apart. He would at times stop during the review and change the order of a particular tray or change out one image for another. The process sometimes would consume several evenings. The slide shows weren’t the catalyst for my interest in photography though.
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My interest began one day as my father opened a package that arrived in the mail. He unloaded these little plastic picture frames with nothing in them there were hundreds of them. They did look like the cardboard holders that I had seen so my curiosity was piqued. I am not sure what I said but it had to have been along the lines of ‘what’s it for?’ He showed me that they took the place of the cheap cardboard frames. We partnered in making slides carefully together and assembling the newest show.
I began to have a greater interest. I was going with him and would watch him make the pictures and eventually he would have a finished roll that he put in this envelop and send off to somewhere and the next thing you know he would be getting it back. Then one day he came home with some boxes filled with different things, trays and bottles and tongs and a red lamp. He took a space and explained how a dark room was set up and worked. I remember you couldn’t see in it unless the red light was turned on.
My journeys of the years beyond didn’t focus on the photography I enjoyed my early youth. My life of responsibility turned to work and the days in between were for the most part seeing whatever I could of the world around me. Always fascinated and wanting to explore the depths of a city. I always saw images a story of sorts.
Somewhere along the path I lost sight of the visions, relegated to a life time of servitude to a time clock where there was no joy, just one battle after the next. Then one day the words came from a friend and boss, ‘we are going a different direction,’ and I was laid off. I was filled with joy. I was elated. I was no longer responsible to punch a time clock. There was no more dread.
So I began my journey of exploration, tuning up my skills many still need the cobwebs blown off as I discover the vision that has grown more complex. I have found a vision that sees not only stories but art in the world around me. I seek it out with passion and fervor. A zest to do everything all at once. I have found myself in a battle for a sensible direction. It has been like trying to catch a school of fish with a net that riddle with gigantic holes.
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This last year has been an effort to try and make up for all the years I didn’t pursue my passion and to create a portfolio that was worthy. Well after spending a few days going through my Lightroom catalogs. I decided to empty some space on my drives. I had a lot of images that were reminiscent of the creation in the movie “Young Frankenstein” , actually I wish they were equal to the camera work in that movie. Yet I made an honest evaluation, I have kept the best of the worst and I am moving on to do what I know. I will not just create for creations sake. Press the shutter release because it seems interesting and has a plausible story, not I want a story in the one or two frames, may be a few more that add to but have a story of their own with no support.
So, I have found my way. I will journey the paths now before me that hold stories of life. So you will see and read about the journey. Sit back as I prepare the slide shows of today. Afterwords we’ll step out and have a drink and a cigar, and talk about the stories told.
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