September 5, 2011
If you enjoy taking pictures you know the power photographs have to take you back to those special moments that would otherwise be lost amid the trillions of memories stored in your mind and brain.
The camera has enabled us to view again and again our memorable moments, and see a world that would otherwise be invisible or unknown to us. Perhaps we take it too much for granted today how easy it is to capture with the click of a shutter the times and places we cherish; to document special events, or to fully appreciate how other photographers bring to us, not just earths natural wonders, also the inner universe of the brain and body and the one surrounding us.
I’m not the photographer in my family. Not that I don’t take pictures. I do, however, I’m definitely an amateur among some very brilliant pros in my family. My brother Norman Phillips (Visit Norman Phillips Seminars) is a world-renowned prize-winning photographer. My husband Don, also a prize winning photgrapher began his career in photography when he was just 12 years old doing weddings and portraits with an Ansco he bought with money earned doing hard labor for a builder. His first camera was a Donald Duck, no kidding! He went on to be an Air Force camera repairman and PR photographer, and when discharged began to use his camera to show people intriguing alternative views of the world; many of those photos were published in newspapers and magazines. He won many prizes for his work using a simple Agfa. He did portraits, weddings as well as commercial, industrial and aerial photography to augment our income while working for ATT&T as a telecommunications specialist. He also did the photo illustrations for my newspaper and magazine feature stories and articles. His last job as a photographer was as City photographer for the city of Dearborn, a job in which his brilliance was recognized but not rewarded. He had many conflicts with the policies, politics and people there because he wasn’t a boot licking yes man to Mayor Hubbard.
When I finally persuaded him to take a leap of faith and join me in my newly opened ESP development and Hypnosis Center he put away his cameras to become the other three-quarters of the business. As my office and business manager he facilitated the growth and development of our enterprise. He did do Kirlian and Schlieren photography for our research in the field of parapsychology, including psychic healing experiments, as well as contributing his talents and energies to my endeavor to help people develop all of their latent abilities.He’s the only photographer whose ever been able to do a portrait of me that I felt a true likeness. He took human interest shots that told stories , and caught our children in their imaginative play, for example
Today he enjoys taking pictures, primarily for his own amusement. He takes his camera almost everywhere and captures people aux natural. He does people watching through his lenses and captures their human essence with respect as well as a sense of humor. Now my daughter Deborah is becoming an accomplished photographer, as are some of my grandchildren. So we might say it’s in their blood. Proving once again it’s not the camera, but the eye and skills of the person behind it that makes the difference between an ordinary picture and an extraordinary one. Admittedly photo shopping is a common tactic now to enhance the photographers work so it’s often difficult to determine what is real, however, I’ve learned that it’s also an art as much as a science to produce images that wow us.
In the next several blogs I’m going to share some of their work with you, for your amusement and pleasure. I might even add a few of my own shots, ones I’m reasonably pleased with. I’ll add captions and perhaps a little side story.
It’s a good idea in these tough times to focus on what we as human beings have in common, the things we can smile about, the beauty we can appreciate and whenever possible have a really good laugh, even at ourselves; and always remember what is good in the world, in each other, and our lives so we can balance it against everything else. See the photo below text, it will make you smile
TTFN and all the best, always, from Elaine Kissel
Joy rider! Oh the thrill of flying high…uplifted to the sky.. who says man can’t fly! Photo by Don Kissel.