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I first became interested in photography while in High School during the early 70s. I spent a lot of time wasting 35mm film shooting everything that caught my eye. Eventually, I discovered that there was much that could be said with the visual image. Began to use the 4x5 and 8x10 view cameras and slowed down the process and developed a more contemplative approach to producing images. As time went on, I found I was spending far too much time in the darkroom and not enough time out in the field producing new images. It was quite a struggle balancing time and money to make fine prints from my many negatives. I began to exhibit my work in a number of galleries in the Los Angeles area. For a time, I considered making photography my vocation. But two things transpired that caused me to re-think that choice. First, I was becoming frustrated with the gallery scene and the pretentious "artists" that were showing their work at that time. Second, I had the opportunity to meet with Ansel Adams a number of times at his home in Carmel. He would graciously review my current portfolios and make constructive comments. In 1980, Ansel recommended me to the Polaroid Corporation for inclusion into their permanent collection. Ansel had one comment that I took to heart. He said, "You see the world with a very beautiful and unique style. Don't let commercial work ruin your way of seeing. Sell shoes if you have too, but don't do commercial work." So, I took his advice and became a Software Engineer. Working as an engineer really took a toll on the amount of time I could spend doing photography. Work, plus starting a family, caused me to put photography on hold for several years. It was rather strange to go into the darkroom, after what seemed to be just a brief interlude, and realize that all of the chemicals had expired over a year before. It's amazing how time flies! Today, I'm spending less time in the darkroom, and more time at the computer... like I don't already spend most of my at the computer anyway! Digital imaging offers many advantages to the creative photographer and I'm very excited to see how it can affect my new work. Best regards, |
