Who Am I ?
I am just a man who enjoys photography and technology. I am not a professional photographer, but I have dabbled in and out of photography since childhood. I had a love for photography when I was young and enjoyed the opportunity to create a peace of art. Ever since then, I have been trying to create a sense of art and make memories with the next generation.
Background
As I stated above, I am not a professional photographer, nor would I ever claim to be. I have considered becoming a professional photographer many times, but circumstances provided other opportunities throughout my life.
My love for photography began when I was in upper elementary school and was able to use my first camera, my mom’s 110 film camera. I thought this was the coolest thing ever. I entered some pictures in the photography category in the 4-H competition for a few years. I eventually moved on to the APS (Advanced Photo System) film camera and then to 35mm SLR (Single Lens Reflex) camera.
You may be wondering about my history with Polariods and instant cameras, and I will share that soon.
While I enjoyed creating art through photography, I also began taking art classes. I mainly focused on oil painting as my medium and still prefer to paint with oils. I started painting when I was 11 years old and continued through college. I have recently started to get back into it a little and have begun teaching my kids as well. While growing up, I remember the mesmerizing work of Bob Ross on TV which gave me some more encouragement to go forward with this.
During this artistic journey of photography and oil painting, I wondered what else could I do. In around 4th grade, I had the opportunity to join a string orchestra at my school. As one to be different, I chose to play the viola instead of the violin. The viola has stuck with me even till this day.
After high school, I attended Purdue University in the Electrical Engineering program since engineering seemed to run in the family. Along with art, technology was another passion of mine. I have always enjoyed working with my hands and was known to take things apart, whether they were working or not, to try to fix them or improve them somehow. It was the tinkerer inside me.
After high school, what was I to do with my life. I was not that certain about it, but engineering kind of ran in the family, so off the Purdue University to attend the Electrical Engineering program. Along with art, technology was another passion of mine. I liked to work with my hands and was known to take things apart, whether they were working or not, to try to fix them or try to improve them somehow. It was the tinkerer built inside me.
After I had completed my studies in 2009, I worked at a few different jobs before I ended up taking a job in Virginia as a patent classifier. Since then, I have worked for multiple USPTO (United States Patent and Trademark Office) contractors. I have about 11 years of patent analysis experience, including experience as a patent examiner for the USPTO.
What About Instant Photography
Well, if you have stayed this long, I commend you. The one big memory I have about Polaroids and instant photography in general was when I went to the Thunderbirds airshow at a local Air Force base with a friend and his dad. My friend and I were able to dress up as pilots and have our picture taken in front of the jet. This was shot on a Polaroid camera and I was given the picture. I still have this photo and have always had great memories with it as a token of the outing with my friend.
I, like most people, am not a very patient of person when it comes to something I want, just ask my wife. The waiting time of film developing was always too long for me. Even when digital photography was hitting the scene in full strides, that fact I can get an instant print out of what I just took and watch as it developed is something that cannot be replicated. I preferred the instant photo over the digital photo regardless of the fact that digital photography could provide a more “perfect” photograph.
While in the patent examiner training, I learned about the Polaroid and Kodak patent wars. As I started to look more into this, I became fascinated with Edwin Land and all the patents and innovations he has achieved throughout his life. This has rejuvenated my passion for instant photography and I want to share my journey through Polaroid and Fuji (Instax) from the perspective of art, technology and science.
I HOPE YOU WILL ENJOY TAKING THIS JOURNEY WITH ME!