CLIMBING INTO THE WAY-BACK MACHINE, THAT'S A picture of me, the year is 1968 / the location a camera shop in Japan, making a selfie with the use of a fisheye lens. Seems appropriate to post that picture as an intro to fulfilling my promise to tell the story of how I became a photo journalist within 6 months of picking up a camera for the very first time....
.... background: in 1966 I was drafted into the US Army* where, as luck and the spin of the wheel would have it, I was trained as a supply clerk. After training I was sent to Japan begin my tour of duty. However, upon my arrival in Japan, the Army noticed I had real-life experience with drafting, so, they ditched the supply clerk thing and made me a drafstman (making charts and graphs). I was assigned to a command headquarter where I toiled away making charts and graphs in air-conditioned comfort.
In any event, there I was, halfway around the planet, without a picture making device. But, lo and behold, I was in the land of big camera store in the sky, soooo, I purchased a camera-a Petri fixed-lens rangefinder-and began making, tourist wise, pictures. Soon after getting the camera, I discovered that the base rec center had a fully equipped (BW film and print, color slide processing) darkroom facility. Again, as luck (fate?) would have it, within a few weeks of getting a camera, I was processing film (spooling it on reels) and making prints, none of which seemed much like rocket science to me.
A few months later, I learned of a US Army photo contest. A contest which started at the local base level and progressed through several stages, ending at the final stage, the world wide level. A picture had to win (top 3) at each level to keep advancing in the contest. I entered 3 slides in 3 different catagories. All 3 took 1st place in each catagory and advanced to the Western Pacfic level of the contest where, again, they finished in the top 3-2 1sts, 1 HM-for each catagory and it was on to the All-Pacific / Asia level. 2 of the 3 pictures were awarded 2nd HM which was not enough to advance to the next level.
Needles to write, I was impressed with myself and, as I discovered, so was my company commander + base commander (a general) as well as the US Army Theater commanding general. The net result of that attention was a ceremony with the Theater commanding general (a 3-star) where I was awarded a certificate and a slew of US Saving Bonds. It should go without writing, but nevertheless, I was beginning to think this picture making thing was fun.
Fun aside, it was back to work as a drafstman until, a few weeks later, the base photographer was rotated back to the States and, as once again luck and the spin of the wheel would have it, the base Information Offce, just down the hall from my office, was left without a replacement. It took me all of a minute to raise my hand, metaphorically writing, and selflessly volunteer to fill the position.
It took the IO office hierarchy about 2 minutes, based upon my photo contest success, to say, "You're hired." (albeit in military speak). I was handed a 4x5 Speed Graphic (following in the footprints of Weegee) with a bunch of 4x5 film holders and put to work making pictures of army life / events, to include photo essays for the command newspaper, some of which were picked up by Stars and Stripes.**
And so it began, a career and a life in photography.
If there is a point to be made in this telling, it is that, as hindsight would have it, I can write (without a doubt), that I owe my picture making success to the fact that I started making pictures without a single bit of instruction / training / education (not then, not ever). I just started making pictures without knowing the "rules" (ignorance is bliss) or, for that matter, what was considered to be a good picture. Rather, I just made pictures which were the result of how I see the world. An M.O. which has served me well both in my commercial and fine-art picture making endeavors.
* I had recently dropped out of college cuz I had no idea whatsoever, re: what I wanted to do for the rest of my life.
** Stars and Stripes is a daily American military newspaper reporting on matters concerning the members of the United States Armed Forces and their communities, with an emphasis on those serving outside the United States.
