2012’ TBC

This photograph is my proof. There was that afternoon, when things were still good between us, and she embraced me, and we were so happy. It did happen, she did love me. Look see for yourself!- Duane Michals

I started “really” taking pictures during my first Spring in college. Before that time in my life I really only expressed an interest in shooting on a cheap digital camera at the concerts I attended monthly, they held most of my attention and took the majority of my allowance. The sudden rush of independence I felt that spring combined with the newness of everyone in my life at the time is expressed in my Polaroids and first disposable rolls of film.

From the age of 18 and maybe until I turned 20 I had unlimited access to Polaroid film. When I was growing up my mother considered Polaroids a waste because of the cheap cameras and expensive film. When I went away to school one of the first things I did was buy a Polaroid camera on ebay and splurge on film every few weeks. I didn’t have much of an eye for composition but I felt compelled to capture the craziness of my “summer camp” like university. Like most people I never thought there would come a day when I couldn’t buy Polaroid film at a drug store. I was so in-denial about the end of Polaroid that I packed my heavy camera on a trip to England only to discover my film has expired and there was absolutely no more to be bought.

I grudgingly started using disposable cameras. I’m not proud to admit this but at the rate that I “disposed” of the “disposables” I was not always paying for the cameras or the film. Some of my own favorite photos are from this time. Like a highly dramatized version of high school everything was loud and fast and seemed terribly important. I also have to mention that around this time I first started using Tumblr (3? years ago) and it made me truly believe in the importance of images. I fell in love with Duane Michals, Irving Penn, Irina Ionesco, Tim Barber, Ryan McGinley, Ed van der Elsken,Nobuyoshi Araki, and countless others. Having an easy place to “keep” all the imagery I enjoyed left me feeling almost obsessively inspired.

Today I realized that I hadn’t updated my “photo-diary” in a while and got alarmed. I definitely don’t consider myself as a photographer. I consider myself a hoarder. I love styling clothes, I love art books, I love making lists, and I love nostalgia. My need to hoard memories spills over into my picture taking.

I was given an i-phone to Instagram for a job and it has definitely crept into my personal life. I used to send private picture messages to friends and loved ones to share daily joys and absurdities but now with Instagram everything is shared on a much greater scale. While photographers like Nan Goldin have (rightfully) claimed that the camera phone is ruining their craft I have to say I kind of love it. It is an easy way to scout for a real narrative shoot or just visually keep in touch with  friends.I shoot on a digital camera weekly for another job and never leave the house without a disposable camera but I still feel  a shift in how I perceive images… In any case I wanted to share my feelings about this medium with you all. As I am a photographer by habit but not by trade or profession this technology is just another mark on a creative spectrum that I see no end to.

What is your favorite photography medium?