Challenge, What Has Photography Meant To Me?

Challenge, What Has Photography Meant To Me?

by Jeff Jordan

I got an interesting challenge from an unsolicited source. Going through my many email's from all kinds of organizations and individuals I've never heard of, but apparently, silicon valley thinks I should, a photography course ad asked it's viewers, 'What has photography meant to you?'

Wow! That one got my attention. First of all, I'm the oldest photographer in my family, but by no means the best. I began taking pictures in the sixth grade. I was a student a The Basilica of St. Mary's in downtown Minneapolis. Down the street was a camera store and a film processing company. Ah, It was there I experienced my first sniff of film and photo processing chemicals. Addictive? Of course, and who is more prone to such behavior? Moi.

My most memorable photo of this period was a shot I got of my classmate, and probably my first baby crush, Karen. I was holding the entrance door of the church as my classmates trooped out of some service or another. My little brownie was hanging from my neck. I lifted it one-handed and snapped a shot. In my prepubescent mind, I had stolen a kiss.

I elevated my equipment and horizons. I joined a photography club at The University of Minnesota. I got my first paid gig when I helped the golf pro at Golden Valley Golf Club take stop-action images of his student's golf swings. Talk about foreshadowing the future.

I got paid to take photo's of new cars strictly to use the images for a Crash Catalogue showing the decorative chrome features. I learned a lot about reflective light on shiny stuff.

I did a couple of weddings. These weddings should have taught me to never do weddings. You're dammed if you do and dammed if you don't. And yet, I recently did one to help a friend.

I have to say I've been a hobby photographer with moments of dabbling in getting paid for it. I had a Gallery in Door County that displayed my work. I had a lot of ego stroking but made very little money.

Photography has taught me how to look around and view things from different perspectives. It allowed me to see the value of those event photos. They allow parents to show their children the pictures of them and their relatives when they were younger. In some cases, kids got to actually see an image of a person they have heard talked about all of their lives, who had passed away.

I've become more aware of my surroundings. I have enough knowledge of the art and craft of photography to be a judge of honest effort and success in the images I've taken and the work of others that I see.

Except for a raft of digital images that I really should go through and separate the good from the truly unworthy, I have very little to show for my efforts. My physical albums and digital files are going to become the charge of my daughter Mary Jo. But I'm going to have to make some notes about the history of these images, who is in them and why they were taken. Otherwise, they will be lost through ignorance.

I have to say overall, with the exception of all the money I spent on stupid stuff that were suppose to make me a better phtographer, potography has expanded and brightened my outlook as a human being and for that has been a good thing