garrison beau scott

Today we took the offspring out for a walk along the Charles River. There’s a great path that winds its way behind Newton and Watertown, perfect for a lazy afternoon stroll. My daughter, Emmy, saw the Polaroid camera in the car, and asked if she could take some pictures.

She might as well have asked me if it was okay to breathe.

In the past, when we’ve gone out like that, I would always gently remind her that she had a camera along for the trip and ask if there was anything she wanted to take pictures of. But then I remembered my unspoken promise to my children to never push them in any direction. So today I said nothing, and was pleasantly surprised when of her own accord, she began asking if she could use it.

Not just hold it, or have it, but actually use it. So when she spotted something, she asked for it, and then magic. Here’s her favorite, which just so happens to be mine as well.

That smudge in the lower left of the white border is peanut butter. Kids… God love ‘em.

I think this was sometime in 1998. I was assisting on a fashion shoot for a very talented photographer, and very cool guy, Philip Newton. We were in Napa and it really wasn’t work, if only because the people were so amazing to work with, from the models, AD’s, moho driver, and of course Philip himself. Lugging sandbags and c-stands up and down grape-vine covered hills is never toilsome when the people you’re doing it with, and for, are genuinely wonderful.

And did I mention we were doing it in Napa? We were able to secure some amazing locations, and some of the more enjoyable moments were spent walking these incredible properties looking for the setting for the next shot. It was on one of these walks that I noticed this scene and asked to borrow the Polaroid so I could take a snap of this tree.

…why we make the choices we do? I mean, what in the hell was I doing living in Bend, Oregon? At the time (1997) it seemed like a good idea, but thinking back, it wasn’t. I try not to live with regrets, and I don’t have any for my time in Bend, but living without regrets is more than just being apathetic about the choices you make. For me it’s about learning from the mistakes.

I won’t get into all of it, but suffice to say, the time there was short-lived, and not all completely well spent, but I did manage to take a few snaps. One of them is here, taken with my 4×5 pinhole using type 55.

Volkswagons. I like ‘em.

One of my favorite images from the festivities surrounding the redHallway parties. That’s maxxx making the dapper exit, I’m the blazed and goofy one and that’s Binky just off maxxx’s right shoulder. Waaaay in the back is Dan, checking out one of that party’s images.

Of the 4 identifiable people in this Polaroid, I’m still in contact with 3 of them. And if that blond is Vera, and considering who’s in the hall at that moment it’s a pretty good bet it is, then that’s 4 out of 5. It’s Dan and his wife Tiffani, by the way, who have opened their home to me while I am in Los Angeles. Dan is helping me take what I hope is the very next step in my photographic career. Which just goes to show that making true friends in life is what living is all about.

I met Jeff Engel when I joined the Boston Photography Center and quickly realized he was one of the better photographers in the group. And one of the more diverse, as well as one of the more informed and more enjoyable. He’s also one of the rare breed for whom information, process and effort was meant to be shared and not horded. You couldn’t ask for a better ambassador for photography than Jeff. I am stoked to know him, count him as a friend and share his imagery with those of you who pass through here.

As I said, Jeff is one of the more diverse photographers I know. It’s almost as if as soon as he gets a new camera (he’s got quite a few) and masters it (which he will) he moves on to another. Toy cameras, digital rigs, Polaroid Land Cameras, IR modifications, Lens Baby, if it’s been built, chances are Jeff has shot with it. The thing is though, the images, no matter the camera or lens, are distinctly Jeff’s.

His most recent work was done with 4 x 5″ Type 55 using a Graflex Pacemaker Speed Graphic and as usual, the results are beautiful. You can view more of this work by visiting his Tabblo page or his other, equally amazing work at his site.