The post that every photographer has at some point.
There was this video I saw from a photographer talking about his work and his life. It's one of those things you experience and it gets you to really think about things. So I thought about how I actually got into this craziness(photography). So here you go...
I really only picked up a camera when I was a junior in high school. I wish it were earlier but the timing was perfect. My high school art teacher, Garrett, spent time with me during our summer art program. And yes, I was one of those kids who, over the summer, spent a few weeks making art! Garrett told us that he was going to give a lesson in photography so bring your camera. So I managed to get ahold of a Pentax K1000 which is still to this day one of my favorite cameras. Once I learned how to use the meter I was off. I was fortunate enough to have a connection for free film and developing. Garrett suggested that I shoot slide film in the beginning because there is little margin for error when metering with slide film. Needless to say he was right. Once I got that down, I moved to color film. During my senior year, once I got a roll developed, I'd simply put it on his desk and leave it there. I'd come back later in the day or the next day. He would put little post-its on the pictures that "worked". We would occasionally talk about certain images afterwards but that is how I learned composition. Its an unorthodox way of learning but thats Garrett. But if you look at his success and accomplishments in his life you realize that unorthodox is the way to go. Also, there was no photography program at the school at that time so we had to do all of this "off the books" (even though that term doesn't really apply, I like it). Once I had gone to college for photography and had become fairly successful, as it would pertain to someone at my level. I had a bunch of shows and had an article written up in a local paper about my work. I also hooked up with The Gabriel Project, through the founder Mark Melamed, non-profit organization is to provide life-saving heart surgery to a children from an area where such surgery is not available. (thegabrielproject.com) I had donated much of my work to them to help raise money.
I was fortunate to see just a couple years later a photography program implemented into our my high school. In no way was it because of me but Garrett and I created this rush of photographers from my time there and my returns in the following summer art programs to help the students in their photography.
Before getting into photography I was lost. I had no ambition to do anything nor was I really interested in anything. There was a void in my life and it the photography that I was waiting to find and it was Garrett who was there to show me. Without getting too mushy or sentimental, I do owe this all to him and to this day, 8 years later, I still keep in touch with him. In fact, I'll be visiting him and his daughter on Sunday because I'll be shooting her wedding!
Tadaaa. The end
P.S. This posts picture is a new technique started using for multiple exposures. I was obsessed with this when I first started shooting and this allows me to take it a step further.
Michael
I really only picked up a camera when I was a junior in high school. I wish it were earlier but the timing was perfect. My high school art teacher, Garrett, spent time with me during our summer art program. And yes, I was one of those kids who, over the summer, spent a few weeks making art! Garrett told us that he was going to give a lesson in photography so bring your camera. So I managed to get ahold of a Pentax K1000 which is still to this day one of my favorite cameras. Once I learned how to use the meter I was off. I was fortunate enough to have a connection for free film and developing. Garrett suggested that I shoot slide film in the beginning because there is little margin for error when metering with slide film. Needless to say he was right. Once I got that down, I moved to color film. During my senior year, once I got a roll developed, I'd simply put it on his desk and leave it there. I'd come back later in the day or the next day. He would put little post-its on the pictures that "worked". We would occasionally talk about certain images afterwards but that is how I learned composition. Its an unorthodox way of learning but thats Garrett. But if you look at his success and accomplishments in his life you realize that unorthodox is the way to go. Also, there was no photography program at the school at that time so we had to do all of this "off the books" (even though that term doesn't really apply, I like it). Once I had gone to college for photography and had become fairly successful, as it would pertain to someone at my level. I had a bunch of shows and had an article written up in a local paper about my work. I also hooked up with The Gabriel Project, through the founder Mark Melamed, non-profit organization is to provide life-saving heart surgery to a children from an area where such surgery is not available. (thegabrielproject.com) I had donated much of my work to them to help raise money.
I was fortunate to see just a couple years later a photography program implemented into our my high school. In no way was it because of me but Garrett and I created this rush of photographers from my time there and my returns in the following summer art programs to help the students in their photography.
Before getting into photography I was lost. I had no ambition to do anything nor was I really interested in anything. There was a void in my life and it the photography that I was waiting to find and it was Garrett who was there to show me. Without getting too mushy or sentimental, I do owe this all to him and to this day, 8 years later, I still keep in touch with him. In fact, I'll be visiting him and his daughter on Sunday because I'll be shooting her wedding!
Tadaaa. The end
P.S. This posts picture is a new technique started using for multiple exposures. I was obsessed with this when I first started shooting and this allows me to take it a step further.
Michael
