My first camera was an Olympus OM-1 that I used in college and beyond. The only thing I knew about photography back then was that I really enjoyed it, not much more than that. Those were the days of film and developing; “what you shot was what you got”. Instead of studying, I spent way too many hours in the campus darkroom developing pictures and spending whatever money I could on film. Life seemed so much simpler back then, there wasn’t a whole lot of options. Somewhere now, in all my clutter, I still have some of the 8 x 10 Black and Whites I developed in that old and small darkroom on campus.
After that chapter, life, as it always does, seemed to get in the way. Between work, friends, marriage and kids, there wasn’t enough time or money or both to pursue and develop my hobby that I found so gratifying before. The passion and the fun didn’t rear itself again until many years later.
My thoughts of jumping back into photography didn’t emerge all at once. My interest seemed to wax and wane like the phases of the moon. The fun and excitement was there but trying to make it all mine was incredibly elusive. I looked in all the wrong places; comparing yourself with others, not the right equipment, the fear of the unknown, the list goes on. It was later that I found what I was looking for, and it all came from inside. Your eye, your desire, your technique, your idea, your drive. All in you.
I am on my way, looking forward.
I look at the image the way I want to see it. Sometimes it is the image at its birth, and many times it is the image after post-processing. My eye is my key, and my constant learning is the process. It gives me endless possibilities.
“The Photograph is Inside of You.”
Robert (Bob) Lanese