This drawing is from an old photo. I got the reference for this diving pelican years ago from the pier near the lighthouse on Sanibel Island. I was on a photo trip with my brother Ted, and what a great time we had! There must have been a huge school of fish, because the area was full of pelicans, and there were two dolphins hunting there as well. The two of us went back this year and took a ton of new photos that I’ll share soon. I have a lot of new references and inspiration for paintings!
I took a few courses in photography while I was in art school and grad school for illustration, but the majority of what I learned behind the camera was from Ted. His photo addiction started in his teens. He spent months drooling over photo catalogs and could tell you the advantage of every possible camera package. After mowing neighbors’ lawns and saving money forever, he was able to buy a high quality 35mm film camera as well as a 50mm and 70-210mm lens. He then set off to photograph all the wildlife and scenery in the county.
Not long after that I got my driver’s license, and we’d head off together for “photo missions.” We’d pack up my mom’s red wood-paneled K-car wagon and spin through the hills and valleys looking for camera-worthy wildlife and landscapes. There was a slight problem. I didn’t have a camera. I shouldn’t say it was a problem, because we really did have a lot of fun, and at the time I didn’t know how to use a camera anyhow. I was the driver, and Ted referred to me as his “Sherpa,” which meant that I’d haul his tripod while we hiked around looking for something good to shoot. I suppose I was getting off easily since his tripod weighed less than his full camera bag. Ted bagged a lot of photos and spent a ton on money in film and developing, continually getting better. We found a lot of great things, and I still remember many of his shots, including robin nestlings, toads, snapping turtles, snowy vistas and great fall foliage.
When I went to art school, I borrowed a camera from my mother for my B&W intro photography class. I found myself asking Ted about technique more than my teacher. I got more nuts-and-bolt technique and less “artsy” answers from him, which was what I needed at the time. Much of the course focused on the darkroom and developing, as in the print end—not the camera end—of photography. Ted helped with the camera itself, dumbing things down quickly for me, making sense of ASAs, shutter speed and apertures in a way the prof couldn’t.
When I went to grad school for medical illustration, I had two photo courses. I ended up getting a very nice SLR shortly before the digital revolution happened. One of my classes focused on what you’d need to know as an illustrator: clinical photography, taking shots during surgery, lighting portraits, lab glassware and other oddball things you’d need to know like photographing flat and 3d artwork. The other course was in ophthalmic photography using fundus and slit lamp cameras. Both were interesting and fun, but one was much more practical.
Ted got into medium format film photography for landscapes and has taken some truly amazing shots with that gear. Although we are now many states apart, and we don’t get to go on photo missions together regularly, I still ask Ted plenty of photo questions. Plus, we are always shooting off emails with our latest photos. Currently we are STILL grooming through all the shots from our January trip and sharing the “winners” with each other. It is amazing how many photos you throw away. That sure makes me glad I’m not shooting film. I hope to have a “best of” post from the trip posted before too long.
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