MY TURN

It was St. Patrick's Day, Spring Break, 1992, and she was standing on Smather's Beach in Key West and she was looking out to sea when he walked up to her and he said I bet you're Irish because you're wearing a green bathing suit and she said no it's just a coincidence and she thought at the same time that he had the most beautiful eyes and he said what college are you from and she told him and she said how about you and he told her and she said what's your major and then he told her and then he said you know that's Cuba out there straight ahead and she said I know and I'd love to go there someday and he said you will...

They were married two years later and took their honeymoon in Cuba and stopped in Key West on the way back and they went to Smather's Beach and he said this is where it all started and she said yes and I'm so happy it did and he said I really love you so much and she said not as much as I love you and he said our love will last forever and she said yes and cried on his shoulder and said I would just die without you and she looked at him and couldn't stop looking at his most beautiful eyes and they went back up north and they moved into a house and he got a good job and she had their first child and as the years passed they had two more children and when one them (the boy) died in an accident she thought she would just die too but didn't and he lost his job but then got a better one and they moved into a bigger house and when he admitted that he'd had an affair she again thought she'd just die but she forgave him and he never cheated on her again and their children grew up and went to college and got married and had their own children and they would all visit each other on Sundays and he said it's been a wonderful life and she said only because our love was so strong and he said yes and held her hand and on their fiftieth anniversary they went to celebrate in Key West which was so different they were disappointed and when they came home he said he didn't feel well and she said what's the matter and he told her and she said it's probably nothing but they went to the doctor anyway and the doctor said it's only a matter of time and when he passed away she thought she'd just die and wanted to because he was the only one she ever loved but naturally she didn't not just then but when her time came the last thing she saw was his most beautiful eyes...

Three years later her great grand daughter was on her Spring Break standing on the nude beach in Cuba looking out to sea when he walked up to her wearing nothing but dark sunglasses and he said Key West is right up there about 90 miles and she said I know and he said and she said and he said...

Wedding Photography...The Early Years

This probably won't interest anyone but photographers, but since there are more of them than bartenders in Key West, here we go....


I had 2 hobbies in high school...magic and photography. I gave magic shows around my hometown of McKeesport, Pa...usually at church events, or the Moose or Elks, the Y.M.C.A., etc. But in my senior year, a local newspaper man sold me my first professional camera...a 4x5 Speed Graphic press camera.

And he recommended me to his friends to photograph their wedding. It was a Mr. Buck, and a Miss Berry , both in their forties...and it was their first marriage. I remember that they didn't have a car, and asked me to drive them to the church. That's about all that I can remember about the event, but it apparently went well, because I shot a few more in my hometown before going off to college.

    But what I want to talk about is how it's much easier to photograph a wedding (or anything) today, thanks to the digital revolution. When I shoot a wedding today, I put the memory card into my Nikon, attach the strobe to the top of the camera, turn the camera on, and away I go. The computers in the camera and the strobe talk to each other, and when I push the button, the camera automatically focuses, determines the shutter speed and aperture, and bang!...you have a sharp well exposed  picture. 


But way back then it was a different story.....


    I shot the Buck 'n' Berry wedding with my Speed Graphic. That camera took film holders...there were 2 sheets of 4" x 5" black and white film in each holder, one on each side.

 Here's what I'd do ...
1. I would put the film holder in the back of the camera, pull out the slide that had protected the film from light, and find a place to put it for a moment.
2. I'd set the shutter speed, usually 1/100 of a second.
3. Unlock the focusing scale on the camera bed, then focus on the subject through the Kalart rangefinder that was built on the side of the camera.
4. Lock the focusing scale so it wouldn't move.
5. Look down at the indicator on the scale and see what the distance was to the subject.
6. Since I had done it before, I knew that if it said 12 feet, then the exposure would be best at an aperture setting of F16...(depending which flashbulb I was using, and the film speed)
7. After I set the aperture, I'd put a new flashbulb in the flashgun.
8. Compose the subject through the optical viewer on top of the camera, and say what every photographer says since Louis Daguerre ...1..2..3....
9. Push the button!

    Now to do the next shot, I'd put the slide back in the film  holder...pull out the holder, flip it over, put it back in the camera,pull out the slide, put it somewhere, cock the shutter again, remove the flashbulb, put a new one in, refocus, possibly set the aperture to a new setting, look through the viewer, and fire again. After a bit of practice, I had it down to 30 seconds.

    Now lets say I was shooting 6 bridesmaids and the bride and father coming down the aisle. They usually come racing down, because they're  a little embarrassed by being the center of attention....and often they bunch up, with almost no space between them. How many shots can I  get with it taking  30 seconds to get ready for each picture? Not many...and that's why in those days , after the ceremony,  I would recreate a lot of the event...bridesmaids coming down the aisle one at a time...shooting the exchange of the rings again (no telephotos or zoom lenses on the Speed Graphic in those days), and so on.  


The only thing I miss about those days is the fact that I used to be the only person there with a camera.