One of our new members volunteered for our Spotlight for March 2020. Read on and enjoy Scott Gordon's journey...
My interest in photography was serendipitous. In 1970, a fraternity brother needed a roommate and he happened to have a darkroom. At the same time, another friend was returning from Vietnam and sold me his Pentax gear. These were turbulent times, characterized by protests against the Vietnam war, demonstrations for civil rights, and anger at the corruption in the White House. What's a young lad to do? I could see these events unfolding in Look and Life magazines' first-person accounts and all I needed was a photographic frame of reference. I discovered Diane Arbus, Eugene Smith, Garry Winogrand, Lee Friedlander, etc. and realized I wanted to do street photography, which I pursued for a couple of years. When photographing people, I aim to convey either a social awareness of an issue, personality quirk, or some dark universal truth about the human condition.
Abruptly as this hobby started, it stopped and life set new priorities. Decades passed, kids grown, and retirement calls (2006). It's a new world out there with everyone carrying a cell phone and hyper-aware of being photographed. Sadly my street photography has morphed into street portraits as no doubt someone in the scene sees me before I can get a candid shot. I look now for people looking for a good time, such as the Mummers, Tattoo convention, Mermaid parade etc. in order to shoot my story. Now into my 60s, it is time to add inanimate objects such as landscapes, flowers and other pretty things to my things to shoot list.
Lynn and I vacation in our National Parks and catching a park in the golden hour is a hit or miss proposition. Timing is focused on where to eat and sleep not what location is best when the sunsets at 9 pm. Nonetheless, I handhold and shoot when hiking with the advantage of seeing a lot more of the park, as well as seeing more parks.
My gear : Canon 7d, and 5d mk.2: 24/105,70/200,100 macro, 50 semi macro, 18/55.
Scott's Gallery - click on the image for the full size:
Love what you wrote and your pictures are so interesting. I love the details. Each one tells a story and I love how unique they are. Thanks for sharing.
Thanks for the kind comments Diane we are unique creatures no two alike and all a bit crazy in our own way.
Really love your street photography!
Kathleen, Glad you like them me too lol, Street photography for me is a way to engage with the people around me and in so doing it enriches my life. Similarly my landscapes of our National parks gets me out into Nature which has a transcendent effect.
Very unique view of street imagery; love the expressions. Powerful.
Hi, Janet, I try to have my own voice. I try to interject some humor when I can we all have our quirky moments that we just have to laugh at our selves. Sadly their is that dark side often just below the surface that disturbs. My career in human services has made me keenly aware of the human condition which helps me see the story in front of my lens. Thank you for your comments its nice to know they made an impression.