My father gave me my first “real” camera when I was about 14 years old. It was a Yashica 35mm range finder camera. Along with the camera came a few rolls of Kodacolor 35MM print film. This was my introduction to the wonderful world of photography and boy; did I love it! I remember going through roll after roll of film, amazed at being able to capture a snapshot of the world, and my memories, on a 3.5 inch my 5-inch rectangular piece of paper.
I remember the excitement of dropping off my rolls of film at the photography section of our local “big box” retail store followed by the waiting and anticipation for the film to be returned so I could pick it up! I couldn’t wait until the week, or more, was up and I could get my prints. I don’t thing I ever made it out the store before I had scanned each and every picture marveling at what I had captured.
The Yashica camera served me well through my high school and college years and although the camera is gone, disappearing somewhere along life’s journey, the memories of using it, and more importantly, many of the faded prints are still with me!
In high school shop class, I was introduced to the art black and white film developing and printing. This was a big step forward in my photographic journey as I now had control over the outcome of my pictures. Not only could develop a roll of film and the next day print out images reducing the weeklong wait time for the retail store to produce the prints, but I could also control the output. I could dodge and burn images, crop images to my liking, print 8 x 10 instead of being limited to the 3 x 5, 4 x 6 or, if I had the money, 5 x 7 prints that print shops offered.
Friends, girlfriends, pets, and the world around me became the target of my black and white images. When I look at the prints I made in high school, many of which I still have, I see a life that was and a glimpse of life that was to become, but most importantly, I see a record, a clear history, of the world that was mine at a given moment in time.
As my life progressed so did my photographic journey. About the time I purchased my Canon AE-1 camera the world was introduced to Cibachrome printing. All of a sudden, photography hobbyist were able to affordably, and in the comfort of their own home darkroom, produce color prints! I rushed out and purchased all the necessary darkroom equipment and walled off a section of my basement to make my darkroom. I spent hours there, printing pictures, one of which was the first print I was able to sell to a client!
