Again, not tossed overboard, just set aside in the corner. I run into this with elation when I go through old photos. Old negs and slides mostly, since things have evolved. The best example I can ever give with my own work were the NYC subway shots I took with my Minolta Hi-Matic of people's feet. Deep. Dark. Haunting. Very blurry. Very sleek. Also, the first 3-5 shots you are to take beginning with a new roll of 35mm film. Start a new role, take 3-5 shots. Click, advance. Click, advance. Click, advance.
In this case, I was at the top of a NYC subway going to and coming from Canal St Station. Since I was hurrying to capture, I never put the lens cap back on. Total accident. When the negs were first processed. I overlooked these shots as the beginning of the roll. Today, a literal 9 years later, those are some of my favorite from that roll.
I suppose it is just like fashion. Our tastes change. They evolve as we grow. As we experience. What was once a film camera is now a digital camera. The film is gone. Those first 3-5 images of chance. No longer.
As of today, I was reminded of how sharing the photography community really is. That is something I grew to find as precious some 10 years ago. There had been (and still is) a glorious community in Portland. Where, I suppose, I found my footing. Or maybe my toe was steadied.
Years later, I have seen it again. A true love of the art. The process. The experience. And some of the most revered individuals are more than willing to share what they've learned. It is the most genuine exchange. The master and the apprentice. Of sorts. More like, an equal curiosity and fascination with the process of photography as well as each individual's vision. Their eye, what they see at that moment.
This is what I saw before, but didn't recognize it as what I see it as today. Stunning.
Cheer. Clink clink. And, click click.
