Photography

I got into photography when I was about 15, being drawn into the technical side through my interest in astronomy. My high school had a photography class and several well equipped darkrooms, and I learned the basics of shooting and processing film. We learned how to bulk load our own film canisters, how to handle and process the film, and how to make prints. I even learned to process my own slides using the Ectachrome E-6 process, and did some B&W film reversal into slides.

The assignments in the class started drawing me over into the aesthetic side of photography, learning about composition and color. When I was about 16, I spent most of a summer's earnings on a Nikkormat FT2, which I still have. I eventually picked up an old enlarger with an idea of setting up my own darkroom, but I never did it. I just continued using the facilities at school. By the time I was off to college, it was clearly something that would have to go on the back burner.

I did a lot of travel and illustration style photography through college. My roomate was also interested in photography, and we did some shooting around campus and recording backpacking trips and other activities. We bought most of our film and supplies at Studtman Photo Service on MLK at Lavaca. After college, family and other things slowly displaced photography.

Curiously, while I was not watching, the whole activity as I knew it receeded into the pages of history. The digital camera has changed everything. Photography stores that catered to the hobbyist like Studtman Photo have disappeard. Many of the changes are for the better. And sure, the cameras, supplies, and equipment are still out there - it will be a long time before analog photography goes away. I look back on the trappings of analog photography with some nostalgia, because while I'll always be dabbling with images, and I'll continue to shoot the occasional roll of film, I know I won't ever go back to that world.

note: April 2006 - I drove by Guadalupe and Lamar and noticed that the little strip center where Studtman Photo was located is no longer there - consumed by UT expansion.

Galleries

I digitized a few of my slides from the analog days to see how they would translate into the modern medium. I put a few online for your enjoyment.

Misc photos

Links

• The Camera Co-op of Austin - its like trip into the wayback machine
• Austin's Precision Camera and Video - has all the latest gadgets and digital gear, but also probably has a bulb for your 50 year old movie projector.