Photography In My Life
Ever since I picked up a camera, photography has been a major hobby in my life. It became the way I connect with the world, and with people, and helps me to find relaxation while enjoying visiting and photographing new and interesting places and things. Each photo I take is a pause, a moment where time stands still, allowing me to capture emotion, beauty, and truth that words often fail to express. Photography gives me a voice when I'm silent and clarity when life feels chaotic. It's how I document not just what I see, but what I feel. Often times, I care less if the photo is good or bad; I just enjoy taking the photographs and reviewing them in the days that follow. I was ten years old when I received my first camera; a Kodak Brownie. That was so long ago that I would not doubt there were Giant Lizards roaming these Pocono Mountains at the time. I exaggerate, of course. However, I was living in Jersey City, NJ at the time and the largest items I was seeing were big Cadillac cars, as well as large Buicks, Oldsmobile and Pontiacs, among other vehicles. I had an uncle who worked for GM, so that explains the brands of cars I mentioned. Thus began my love of photographing automobiles, an interest that exists to this day. My first really capable camera was a Minolta SRT 101, which I purchased around 1971. I used that camera to take many 35MM Black & White photos, mostly street images, and I also created a small dark room in my basement to try my hand at film developing. That was less than successful so I moved on and allowed the film to be professionally developed but I bought a used enlarger and exposed the negative and processed the print in my makeshift darkroom. The chemicals and paper purchased at a store in Manhattan called Camera Barn, near 34th Street. My first professional type camera was the Minolta XK, purchased in 1976. I had several lenses for that XK camera as well as two interchangeable finders, and four interchangeable focusing screens. I actually used that camera to take many thousands of 35MM slides. About half of them were Kodachrome and the rest were Ektachrome, which I developed myself using E-6 chemicals. For the next two decades, the 1980’s and 1990’s, I was busy raising a family, attending college at night to obtain degrees, and focusing my time and efforts on building careers. Those activities occupied all of my attention, efforts and resources, so photography had to remain only a passing interest for much of those twenty years. However, in 2002, I was given a used Olympus C4040 camera and my participation in photography was once again renewed, though only sporadically. Digital photography was new to me, but most fascinating. By then I had my current house in PA so I spent weekends here most of the year. I began taking landscape images, capturing the beauty of the Pocono Mountains, very different from images around Jersey City, NJ, and I got excited about photography again. After five years of using that C4040 camera, I became frustrated with its limitations, so in 2007 I purchased an Olympus E-510 and two lenses. I tried to expand the subject matter of my photographs by attempting to take photos of people. Naturally, I used my family members as models, but they quickly became annoyed with my frequent requests and I abandoned that aspect of photography. I dabbled with some macro images, and tried some abstracts. None of that intrigued me and my photographic activity slowed down significantly, until I retired in 2015. As a retirement gift, I received an Olympus OM-D E-M5 Mark II camera with a kit lens. I purchased a telephoto lens for that Micro Four Thirds camera and began spending some time learning to use that camera, mostly for landscapes but also began taking still-life photos. I enjoyed using a table-top light box as well as some backdrop boards to photograph bowls of fruit, floral displays and more. Photography became far more exciting and enjoyable when, in 2017, I discovered, and joined, the Pocono Photo Club. I immediately began learning new techniques from the guest speakers at most club meetings, and also from club members as they shared their photos and discussed how they captured the images. As I attended the many club activities, such as workshops and photo-shoots, I found myself making friends of many of the club members and enjoying a great social life in my retirement years. Through the club and its members, I’ve gained an understanding of using post processing software and have enjoyed making some of my horrible photographs into images that do not cause severe pain to one’s eyes when viewing them. I have rekindled my interest in portrait photography and expanded to some macro photographs as well; all thanks to guidance from several club members. Today my main camera is an Olympus OM-1 Mark II combined with three of my own lenses. Looking back, photography has been the thread quietly woven through every stage of my life—from the curious ten-year-old with a Brownie camera to the retiree rediscovering joy through a lens and a welcoming club. It’s never been about perfection for me; it’s been about presence—being in the moment, seeing with intention, and sharing that view with others. I may not chase awards or technical precision, but I continue to chase light, memories, and the simple thrill of capturing a scene just right. And in the process, I’ve gained something far more valuable than photographs—I’ve found community, purpose, and enduring joy. I owe a great deal to the Pocono Photo Club and its members.