These Things I Need to Know

Oh, how I love this man, Dr. Nix. My Photography 101 professor. I didn't intend to pursue photography as a career at the time, but was intrigued with it enough to take the class as an elective en route to my BFA. Dr. Nix taught me how to make a pinhole camera with balsa wood to emphasize the importance of learning to control light with the simplest of tools. He taught me how to develop film and make prints in the darkroom. But beyond all the technical stuff, he encouraged me. And hearing him say, "you've got a great eye" is (to this day) one of the best compliments I've ever received.

We reconnected a few years ago when I realized that he lived just 30 minutes from my door. Spending time with him in his home with his wife is such a gift for me. Last Friday, we talked about the start of his photography career as a photojournalist and the excitement of being called in the middle of the night to capture news in the making. "Have you ever seen an ole' 4x5?" he asked. I hadn't. And so my lesson began. Within minutes he returned to the sofa with a black box, pieced together his Crown Graphic 4x5 press camera (weighing in at a hefty 8 pounds), and demonstrated the very manual process of making images "on the fly" back in 1953. And giving a sweet glance in the direction of his beautiful wife, he even told me about the time he had to change his film under a sorority girl's lengthy skirt.

I'm grateful for this time with him. The wisdom of his life. He gives me a window into a past I'll never know.

Cross-posted with another image at Shutter Sisters.