photosteph

I've only posted a handful of photos on this blog so far and each time I select a photo, I begin my dialog by writing about how each photo is a favorite. Well, this is no different. I guess maybe it's a given -- each photo here is a favorite because I don't even bother scanning an image unless it has that "favorite" potential. I normally don't even take the time to work with an image unless it calls out to me from the start, and for that matter, I normally don't even waste the film if I don't find what I see through the viewfinder particularly interesting. I'm not sure if that's good or bad, I just hate to waste film. I don't mind wasting money on shoes or time on the internet or calories on Dreyer's Dreamery Peanut Butter Chunk ice cream, but I hate wasting film on less than desirable compositions. I guess where I'm going with this is that it's just really nice to be doing this for myself now. No college instructors commanding 10 perfect prints by next week, no showing up when the lab opened so I could get the Bessy enlarger that I liked the best, no signing up for time slots on the 2000P that didn't band, no more wasting film just to fulfill an assignment... I can do what I want, when I want and I can do it in the comfort of my own home, my "favorite" place to work. That being said, this shot is a favorite for many reasons: the place, the day, the company.. it had all the workings of a favorite memory. It was taken at my dad's cabin just after a brief but strong summer thunderstorm. He and I sat up against the house in a comfy wooden porch swing and waited out the rain. My first SLR, my grandpa's Fujica AZ-1, sat ready and waiting in my right hand. I love the summer.