After entering college, I took photography courses for two years.
I learned how to use an SLR, a single lens reflex,
the predecessor of the current DSLR.
And I also learned how to use medium and large format cameras.
I love the darkroom.
Spent many nights there developing negatives and printing.
There was no Internet and no social media for sharing.
Usually, you'll have a few conversations with other photographers and
among friends and maybe, at some point, you got an exhibition.
If you worked at it, you could get your work around, but
it wasn't anywhere near as easy as it is nowadays.
I never dreamed a day it would come when you could get your work out around
the world in a few minutes.
Not long after that, I got my first paying job as a photographer,
documenting a theatre production at my college.
I was able to borrow a medium format film camera,
a twin lens reflex Rolleiflex, a wonderful camera.
And I also borrowed an upperclassman's film camera, a Pentax SLR.
At this point, everything was still done with film.
Photographing rehearsals and run throughs of the play presented some new and
strikingly different challenges from taking shots of nature, or
shots in the street or even in the studio.
Just to jump back to the present for a moment, I'd like to show some images from
that time that demonstrate something interesting.
Even in the beginning of your work, it's possible to take meaningful photographs.
For example, these two images here,
were shot in the first two years of my work with photography.
About ten years ago I scanned them and posted them on social media.
Each is now received multiple thousands of visits and many, many comments.
Many more than some of my most recent pictures.
As you develop as a photographer, you might create works
of high quality even though you're just beginning to learn.
And you'll notice, that no matter how much experience you acquire,
each image you take will not always be a stunning distinctive success.
After working for a couple of years, I returned to the university, but
this time to pursue another passion, music.