A Tinge of color

When I was a kid, I wanted to be an artistic painter or a sketch artist. I tried it, but it did not work out for me.

Many moons ago, during my senior year in high school. One of my best friends got into photography. His family had moved to another city quite some distance away. One of the teachers at his new school introduced him to it. When his family would visit back in the area on the weekends, he would bring some of his photographic work. I was amazed and inspired! Even then, his work looked professional. He was a BMX racer, so he photographed races that he attended. Also, there was no shortage of photographs of beautiful young ladies at his school! LOL!

During my second semester, my school hired a photo teacher to teach photography. We, as students, had no idea that the school had a photo lab. Of course, I enrolled in the class. There was no security, and the teacher lacked control of the students and the atmosphere. I started skipping class. My parents had recently purchased a new camera (Canon AE-1). I did not want it to get stolen. Even my negatives would come up missing! Ultimately, I had to beg my teacher for a D to graduate! My inspiration for photography faded.

My passion for learning how to photograph came from an unimaginable event. It was finally graduation time! I enjoyed high school and knew I was going to miss seeing everyone. Photographs were taken with the people you care about. And those you know will go on to do great things are one of the most crucial moments after graduation! There were no cell phones for taking photos like now. My dad was our family historian. He always did a great job documenting all our vacations, church, and school events. As usual, he took every picture that I wanted with whomever I wanted to make one with.

I was so excited when it came time to pick up the photographs! I remember the store clerk handing the packages for each roll of film. I believe he took three on that day. These envelopes were flat and light. I instantly knew something was wrong! Horror gripped me as I opened the first packet. No photos at all! I grabbed the negative sleeves, and the negatives were blank! Not one photo of my graduation! I did mention earlier that the camera was new, right?

Years later, I still shoot and fall in love with infrared photography. Years ago, I read that “Photography is painting with light.” I concur. Enjoy!