"... and I think that's why I still like film so much."

This past week, while teaching, I was asked to recount the main reason I began my photographic journey. I thought back to that vacation in Florida where I first picked up my dad's SLR (Canon AE1). The desire I had to excel at something, my need to compete with my older brother who has skills beyond this world, and my inability to express my thoughts and emotions drove me to photography. As I was talking I realized that these were all good reasons, but my love for photography as a medium came from something deeper.

My dad is my hero and role model, I can't think of any other sole person I want to be just like; while on a short term mission trip to Japan in college my father picked up a Canon FTb, with which he soon fell in love. He took a class in photography and as a music major was highly attuned to the quality of records, old radio and film.

While advising me in high school as to which camera to buy, my dad and I picked up a pro line Canon F1 (the pro version of his old FTb). This camera forced me to learn everything about photography in a fully manual way. It is still my favorite camera, and I realized while I was telling my story that I didn't just love this camera, I didn't just love film... I loved my dad. I wanted to be like him and do somthing that he did back in school, I wanted to do something that he enjoyed, somthing that transported him back to such an intense time of learning and growing.

My dad is my hero... and I think that's why I still like film so much.