PICTURES

Summer 1990, a flat rectangle 110 camera, Fuji film 200, investigating the neighborhood, a young photojournalist ready to capture magic on film. I took the most magnificent photographs that day! I vividly remember concentrating my focus on a plump back and yellow bumble bee crawling around inside the purple flower of a Sharon bush and my heart burst with joy. The film from that day was never developed. I never saw the photos, but I knew, I knew in my soul, they were magnificent. Fall came and I entered my 8th grade Journalism class with such confidence and anticipation!

Decades later, I feel the same bursting joy behind the lens. Whether it be a retro Polaroid, my beloved Nikon (hey, Cannon is cool too), or a trendy smart phone ap, the anticipation and magic are the same.

Light makes photography. Embrace light. Admire it. Love it. But above all, know light. Know it for all you are worth, and you will know the key to photography.

George Eastman of Kodak

My love of all things music naturally poured over into my photography. At a live music show you have no control over lighting. You take a few moments to study what you have to work with, then you adapt and become creative with what you have been given. The results can range from quite terrible to terribly wonderful! This situation can leave you feeling trapped or be a new-found freedom. For me, working with available light builds the anticipation and excitement of getting the shot to a whole other level. It becomes an adventure I relish getting lost in.  

Adapting to the light you’ve been given is one kind of understanding. Creating with light you have orchestrated and planning a portrait requires a much richer understanding I am still developing. Decades after my magnificent unseen bumble bee photos, I’m again filled with anticipation, eager to learn.