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Like most things in my life, if I
decide that I like something it usually becomes a driving passion.
Photography is no exception. My
father had a better camera then most people when I was growing up. It was very
time consuming to take a photo though. There was usually a tripod, light
meter readings and a flash bulb involved. I had a few various cheapy
Instamatic cameras until I got my own 35mm Canon AE-1 SLR in about 1983. I
took many photos classes at Camden County College in the early to mid 1990s.
That is when I took some of the images below from my black and white film
period. One of the classes I took was “nontraditional photography” which was
a dark but interesting time of my life. I eventually had 5 35mm cameras, a 4
x 5 studio camera, and a 10 x 10 studio which doubled as the darkroom. All of
the film cameras were sold about 7 years ago when I got my first digital
camera, a Fuji S602, but I still have and occasionally use the darkroom
equipment. I actually bought a Cold Light for my enlarger and larger
processing trays in 2007. Darkroom processing will probably fade away as
chemicals and fresh paper become difficult to find. All of the Black and White images
here were taken with film cameras. I had a period of experimentation with
infrared film which created very different images. The color images are a
mixture of film and digital. Stop back often as this page is a work in
progress. I will be adding to it frequently. Click on
the photos to make them larger |
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Before
there was Megapixels, Color Space, and
RAW files,
there was Tri-X 400, T-Max 100,
Dektol,
Stop, Fix, Polycontrast III, dodging, burning
and
the
creative process….
Mather
Light Infrared
Monument Double Exposure Triple Exposure
See The
Light Phila City Hall
Bruce
Springsteen
Bruce has
been my favorite singer since I was 15. (See the Other Interests Page) I took
all of these photos with
film cameras. It is surprising how little available light there is during a concert making action photography difficult.
Some of my
Bruce photos are in a book “For You” http://www.foryoubruce.com
It was released October 2007.
There are
only 2000 copies printed. It is a must have for the serious Bruce fan.
These
photos were taken in the early 90s during the Human Touch
Tour with
1600 speed film. I was pretty happy with the results.
She’s The
One Santa Bruce
Rockin Out
with the “Other Band”
Born In The USA JAM
Working the
crowd during “Light Of Day”
My ULTIMATE
Peak Action photo ever!
Bruce
snapped his arms at the last beat of Light of Day.
½ second in
either direction and I would have missed it.
With Joe
Grushecky at the Electric Factory
10-19-95
My first
Bruce Close Encounter
Backstage
at a Bruce Concert
I was lucky enough to have the
ultimate Bruce experience. I got to go backstage before a concert on 9-25-99
because my good friend Henry McKee hooked us up. I met Henry in about 1982 by
buying MANY parts for my Mustang
I was restoring at that time. Henry is a living room musician with his son, who
is now a bar band guitarist. Henry had the opportunity to write an article in a
guitar magazine about Nils. Henry called Nils and interviewed him. The article
got published and Nils liked it. A few years later Henry parlayed the article
into getting back stage passes for us if we bought the tickets, which of course
we did. It was not completely known that backstage passes were going to be
included for us until we went to the ticket will call counter to get them. I
almost fainted. It was completely surreal. As we found out later they were not
just ANY tickets, but were seated with other band member’s families and
friends. Nil’s brother Tom was right in front of us. Bruce photographer Frank
Stefanko was in the same area as well.
I found out a little later going
backstage was a regular event for some people there, but for me, I knew it
would be a once in a lifetime night. I tried to get Bruce’s autograph, but he
was not in a signing mood. The other band members were VERY gracious. The Setlist was
nothing short of amazing that night! It went by in a flash, but I will never
forget it. Here are some photos I took with what was a very good Point N Shoot
Canon camera I had at that time. I was not sure if photos would have been
allowed so I did not pack a ton of gear, but equally, I was not about to let this night go by
without ANY photos! I only snuck a
few photos during the show as I did not want any problems with security. Some
got to go backstage after the concert. We were not 1 of them.
The most ironic part was I did not
meet my wife until 4 months after this show. I knew this could have been the
MOST romantic ultimate Bruce experience of my life by taking her backstage,
then having the “happy ending” after the concert. I have dreamed of such a
night 1 million times since age 16 when I first started following Bruce. But NO, I got to
go backstage with my friend Henry!
There was NO romance, and by far NO happy ending! Don’t
misunderstand me here, I am glad I went. I guess it is just 1 ones life’s very
ironic moments that you live though and hopefully laugh about later. I have
taken my wife to a few Bruce concerts since we were married, but she does not
share my passion for Bruce. I am very happy to still call Henry my friend after
25+ years.
The Pass To
Bruce Fan Paradise!
Nils and
Me Nils and Henry Danny and Me
Little
Steven and Me with The Late Great
Ed Sciaky
Bruce
talking to photographer Frank Stefanko
Lights Up
for Born To Run and the Close Of The Show
Updated 2-2-09
All photos and content © Lanes Trains 2005-2010