Why I shoot

My first artistic “passion” as a youth was my saxophone. I played in regular school band, our concert orchestra, and the performance jazz band in my 9th grade class. Unfortunately, the next summer we suffered a terrible fire that burned my sax beyond repair. Distraught, I took my warped horn to the pawn shop to trade for a used horn I saw there. To my further dismay, the owner rejected my request and explained the horn was worthless. My horn playing days were over and he could see the pain in my face. The owner then reached behind the counter and produced a dusty leather camera case and inside was an old model Chinon 35mm camera. He said if I wanted it he would trade it for the broken saxophone.

I took the camera to the library for information about how to best work the camera and taught myself how to take great photographs. I have since replaced that first camera, but for over 35 years I have honed my skills and continue to learn in this new digital age.

My artistic passion shifted to the medium of photography and I have never looked back. However, I eventually acquired another sax and enjoy playing when I can.