Joel Spingarn - Joel78 Member Profile on EyeFetch.com

My photo career began at age 15 when I purchased a Kodak Baby Brownie 127 camera for ninty eight cents, three little bakalite trays developer and fixer. My Mom was the janitor of a tenement. My darkroom was in the celler. First roll I developed with great expectaion. Developed the paper backing and threw the film on the floor. As time went on, I purchased a Kodak Bantam 828 and soon after the bug really took hold and I graduated to a Kodak 9x12 cm Recomar, Federal enlarger, and chased my Mom out of the kitchen every night.Took a course New York School of Printing, Did portrature of children for money but had to chase my Mom out of the living room. Eventually went into the Army for three years. Ran a photo lab in the Air Corps. Did about everthing photographic. Digital was unknown. Even did some color printing. Separation negatives and dye transfer etc. After serving, opened a studio did kids and weddings for two years. Finally opened a camera shop. It was a hangout for all the local photonuts. Had a gallery going all the time in the shop. Ansel Adams was much discussed. Sold the finest equipment for thirty-seven years. Retired just prior to the digital revolution. Now I am struggling to learn digital.
Why are so many of my postings scanned from a slide? I started my portfolio many years ago,prior to the digital revolution. All of the more recent work has been taken close by or right at my home with a digital camera. The fact is that I am no longer able to travel. This may change sometime in the future. Oh! One thing more. My experience tells me that the individuals who are quick to offer critisizm rarely have the degree of photographic knowledge that they think they have. As an example, find the pic "Raging Sea". The individual that low rated the pic was critical of how the top and bottom halves of the shot merged and that it should not be apparent. If that were correct, it would eliminate the horizon. Now, every seascape or landscape needs a horizon. This person sounds very knowledgeable but his info is faulty. Eight weeks of radiation has been completed plus another eight wees of rehabilitation in a nursing home. I am cancer free. My final message.......Today August 29.2009, Thank you to all my friends who have taken the time to participate in my photography. I am unable to submit any more photographsdue to a loss of vision. My best wishes to all.