I took a photography course when I was in high school, but I was mostly interested in hanging around with my friends who also took the same course. It gave us a chance to go outside and take photos, and most importantly, smoke cigarettes during school hours. I was too young and stupid at the time to realize that photography might be something I would be interested in for the rest of my life. My instructor at the time, Andrew Lenaghan, was probably the exact combination of friend and teacher I needed. He kept me interested in photography. He even let me have an enlarger so that I could start a dark room in my parents’ basement. I made a few good prints the summer after graduation, won a few awards for one particular photo and after that…nothing. No photography for 10 years. College, medical school, residency, actual work, they all took precedence. After residency and a few years of work, I finally have the flexibility in my schedule to take time off and capture images whenever I so choose.
Hopefully I have several good years of photography ahead. I wasted a lot of time in the years after high school. I might never become as good as I was with film and an enlarger; age certainly does crystallize creativity somewhat. But maybe I will capture a few images I and others will enjoy.