Finding inspiration from others

I was a newspaper photographer for about four full decades. During that time, I taught photography to journalism students at the local university. With photography film-based and camera automation in its infancy, I accented the course on the technical. I told reporters they must understand f/stops and shutters speeds, ASA/ISO and darkroom procedures or fail. Reporters might see a picture but if they didn't understand the technical side of photography, it would mean that all too often newspaper readers would not see their vision.

Today all has changed. My granddaughters all took good pictures at the age of three. Oh, the new digital cameras are not perfect, errors are still possible, but they are vastly better than the old mechanical contraptions.

I ran a photojournalism seminar for more than a decade. I featured world-famous shooters from the National Geographic, Time magazine and many big newspapers across Canada and the States. These famous, talented photographers inspired me and who attended.

Now, in retirement, I am finding it is no longer the big name shooters who inspire me. It is much lesser known talents. I follow folk from around the world who enjoy posting their images on the Net. And locally I follow a woman with whom I once worked. BT was not a photographer at the newspaper but an editor.

I  always argued that good word folk should make good shooters. If they can create a word picture, they can capture the real thing, especially with today's digital cameras. Over the years I have known a lot of professional photographers whose talents were all technical. These shooters were dependable. They would always return with an image. Always. Sadly, the images would not always be good.

BT is a bright lady. I don't for a minute question whether or not she could have survived as a photographer in the bad old days of film; she could have. No doubt. Still, she is pointing the way forward for journalists asked today to shoot pictures. Her example says: "You can do it."

I know. I looked at her images of falled honey locust leaves lying in large drifts on a black, asphalt driveway and I was inspired. The very next day after viewing her shot, I shot my own version. My version is clearly inspired by her image. Some might call my image a ripoff, a copy.

But, I like it and I'm proud to show it. And I'll proudly confess to all who will listen that I was inspired not just by the golden leaves but by a golden photographer, a fine shooter with a discerning eye with whom I once worked.