As a child of the 60's, I was always awed by the images in the major magazines of the time, Life, Look, Vogue, Time etc. Viewing these images made me wonder how they did that. From my early teens I was interested in taking photos, to the great annoyance of my family who were usually my unwilling models.
I remember walking the streets of Greenwich Village with my camera at ready. Once, I photographed a group of teenage boys in a vestibule, hanging out in black leather jackets. I was excited when the image came to life in my dark room. I showed the image to my family, mom asked if I knew these people. Need I say more.
Early on it was Kodak Brownies then range finders and now digital DSLRs.
I represented a prominent photo studio in the NYC for a number years and I learned about perspective and lighting. Still, just shooting for myself, using film and dark rooms to produce images that hung on my walls and some walls of family and friends. I finally made a decision about 6 years ago that I was going to persue my passion and I turned pro when I moved to Florida. It has been a struggle starting over at 57 but it is a choice I don't regret. I finally understand the difference between taking and making photographs.
Please enjoy my images. Your comments are appreciated.
Joel P Black joined Pixels.com Licensing on August 1st, 2010.
