History in Fall…

When I was younger, my father was the family photographer. He was constantly in charge of capturing the family portraits and vacations. He didn’t have a business, but his pictures were phenomenal. His approach was to be cautious and patient for the perfect shot. To be honest, I have a feeling that his “patients” had to do with the cost of purchasing and developing the film. I was once told that for a roll of 20 you should be able to get 1 good shot. My father’s techniques were unique that still stay with me today.

When I was about 11, we were on vacation in Puerto Rico, when I was allowed to hold my father’s camera for the first time. I remember being at the beach and out of nowhere, my father asked if I wanted to take some pictures. I was thrilled and excited; I had a smile from ear to ear. The camera was a Canon AE-1 with a 35 mm lens. After each click, I would need to forward the roll of film to the next position. It was an awesome feeling. Click, thumb wheel, focus, click…

I remember clicking away and adjusting the camera feeling like a pro. I remember taking pictures at the beach of my family. It was a joyful feeling until the roll of film was finished. My father developed the film weeks later. I was extremely excited to see the results of the photos. The sincere gratification of seeing my family smile while they looked at the pictures, stuck with me. Sadly, I could never capture the same essence as my father’s pictures at the time. But it was my first enjoyment of taking and showing my work.

I have to thank my oldest daughter for bringing this tidbit of history back to light. My oldest daughter is currently taking a photography class at school. Out of no where, she asked if we could do some street photography for an assignment. I was thrilled and excited that she had some interest in street photography. So we packed up our gear and went to the center of town of Windsor, Ct.

 Here are a couple of shots from that day.
 

It wasn’t until this shot that I realize how my own history of photography was introduced.

So what is your moment?

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