My interest started as a teenager in high school. You see, I had moved around a lot as a child. So, unlike most of my fellow high school students who had literally grown up together, I was "the new kid." But then, I was used to that and as a result I developed some minimal observational skills. That translated well in one of my elective courses, Beginning Photography. I ended up being the school photographer and yearbook photographer. Worked out pretty well because since I was the new kid I wasn't already part of any single clique and, instead, became members of most of them. It's fun to go back and look at my yearbook and see all the pictures that I took. I can still remember taking each one of them. Of course, I'm a bit more critical today of the quality of the images.
Boy, I sure do miss having ready access to a darkroom and as much time as I wanted to work in it. My darkroom situation was unique because since I was the yearbook photographer, I had my own private darkroom and my own key to it. So, I could come and go on campus at any time day or night and work in the darkroom. Ah, to have such freedom again...
I also remember how, upon graduating from college my dad offered to buy me a camera as a graduation present. But I needed a suit for my new job and so asked for that instead. I still regret that decision.
-Randy
