Twenty-fifteen
January 6, 2015It is a brand new year! The coming months will bring many changes for me as a photographer. Some you will see on this website and others will be more subtle. But change is a comin’.
Beyond that though, I decided to start the blog posts for this year with something that has renewed my passion. Film photography.
When I was seventeen years old, my father passed on his Nikkormat FT3 to me. It was a camera that had been with him for a couple of decades and when I look back, it feels as if that was the moment this whole photography thing started for me. Not that it was my first encounter; I remember having several point and shoot 35mm cameras in my closet (they no longer worked but they held a fascinating element in my eyes).
The year I got that camera was also the year I started college in Nicaragua. Each week as part of our classes they would take us to the auditorium and we would have guest speakers come in and talk about any and all subjects. This was also where I started using my Nikkormat. I don’t know what pushed me forward but I felt like a journalist coming in each week and being the crazy kid that took photos of the speakers. The crazy one that without asking for permission would come up on stage as quietly as someone my size could and try to get the best shot.
This went on for the better part of a year. Each week my father saw himself taking a new roll of film to be developed. Heck, I was a lucky kid. Developing a color roll of film in Nicaragua cost the equivalent of 20 dollars. Do the math. One roll a week for a year.
Eventually I also got the opportunity to take a short course in photography. A local newspaper photographer took a few people on excursions and then would review our shots. It was simple. A little theory but a whole lot of get out there and shoot.
I kept on shooting. After a while I upgraded to my first digital camera, a Nikon D60. I went through college shooting anything I could. I ended up teaching photo workshops for non-profits and all sorts of work. I carried my camera to graduations, weddings, street performances, you name it. My college education was in journalism, so most of what I know about photography came from the thirst I had (still have) of learning.
The Nikkormat stayed with me through that time. I didn’t use it as often. It was still expensive to get film developed. When I moved to the US in September 2013, I had to fit my life in three suitcases. The Nikkormat was sadly left behind with my mother. But rejoice, on a trip my father made, I asked him to bring it up. I decided I wanted to give it another life. I have it with me now. I’ve only shot one roll of film so far but the results made my heart burst with joy. I can still do it. I love photography.
So, that’s how I started.
After a nice long rant I guess I will leave you with some of those results. Some you might remember as being a part of a photo series called Park Portraits. Anyways, Happy New Year! I won’t wish you to get everything you want. I wish you to have the energy and drive to go and get what you want.
