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"For me the greatest challenge
about photography is getting the shot that no one else can, or will, get. Whether it is motor racing, motion picture still photography
or shooting classical ballet performances, the challenge has always there for me. During the
1960's and early 1970's most of us had the freedom to roam at will around the inside or the
outside of a racing circuit and capture the action close up. We were also able to roam
through the pit and paddock area and we were able to visit with the different teams and
drivers. We knew everyone on a first name basis and, more importantly, the all knew us.
Sadly those days are gone forever. I loved to capture the action on the track but I knew
that much of what went on behind the scenes, and in the pits, was very important also.
So much of the drama of motor racing was played out in the pits, particularly at night.
I loved shooting at night because it was a tremendous challenge to capture the mood of
the pit action with the film and equipment that we had available to us at that time.
Everything had to be shot with available, or sometimes unavailable, light since flash
photography was absolutley prohibited in the night pits during that period.
The photographing of
classical ballet performances has become my newest and biggest challenge.
Since you are working on performances where the theatrical lighting is completely beyond your
control, a different type of challenge is presented. How do I stop the dancers when they are
in the air and there is almost no light with which to photograph them? The answer is that, as
we say in the film business, you push the envelope. You throw away the book and you improvise
on every aspect of your knowledge to get the shot because getting the shot is what you are
there to do. The results are often spectacular and the incredible dancers, costumes, sets, and
moods are captured forever.
I have often been asked when will I retire? The answer to that question is never. There are
far too many wonderful challenges out there for me to conquer and I will never be able to
stop shooting until the art of photography challenges me no more."
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