I don't know if I've ever shared the story of why I got into photography but, if I have, it will be interesting to compare the two versions to see if I'm lying...or just ignore the previous version.
I took photography as an elective class my senior year in high school and can honestly say that it was the one and only class that I ever looked forward to in all of the years from K-12 (I actually loved English senior year but only because Lisa was in the class...I don't recall learning one thing). I can still remember the first time I developed an image. We made our own pinhole cameras out of oatmeal box/tubes and the "film" we used was just a piece of black and white print paper cut into a circle. We were instructed to take it outside, point it at something interesting, open the makeshift lens for so many seconds and then develop it. Obviously, I was skeptical but when I dropped that raggedy circle of print paper in the developer and watched the image steadily come to life, I was absolutely hypnotized and hooked.
Trouble was that I had no guidance. I didn't have a desire to go to college (nor the funds) so I went to work right after high school. A year later, I realized that working a day job is the exact thing I swore I would never do so I popped some money I saved to go to a local community college. I was too insecure to go see a guidance counselor so I just signed up for classes I thought I would like and photography was high on the list. That led to five years of photography classes at a community college and the dream of becoming a Fine Art Landscape Photographer. Keep in mind, this was pre-digital and those of us that were into it were all about the "old" ways. I spent years on this with no real direction and no idea where I was going with it but I knew what I wanted.
Twenty something year old Anthony would have told you that the reason I didn't make it as a fine art photographer was because it was just too saturated, there wasn't enough money in it, I didn't have the time...and so on. Recently, I've been looking back on it and realize that the real reason was because I wasn't persistent, didn't believe in myself and never truly tried. I didn't have the confidence in my work to continue and, even when I got some recognition, I'd write it off as a fluke.
The moral of the story is that if you know what you would love to do, you need to figure out how to do it. If someone has done it, you can do it (within reason, of course). This is usually where I put some sarcasm or humor to close it out but I don't think that would help anyone and it certainly didn't help me.
If you know what you WANT go and F@#KN' get it!!
p.s. the photo above was taken in Joshua Tree (Barker Dam) by me with my 4x5 camera around 1994-96...can't remember.
