Chicago Film Photographer... Revelations

revelation |ˌrevəˈlā sh ən|

noun

1 a surprising and previously unknown fact, esp. one that is made known in a dramatic way : revelations about his personal life.

I believe we have all had them. At least I hope we have. If I sit and count, I think I have had 4 already in my life. I have yet to figure out if that is a good or bad thing to already have that many.... I guess the way I look at it is this. Things are meant to be touched. Experiences are meant to be had. Trying things is the only way to fail. And failing is the only way to learn. Some of us fail miserably at things and never try them again. Some people try things and never do anything else in their life time. Neither one is right or wrong. But at some point in your life, something is going to hit you. It may hit you in the face, the shin, the stomach, possibly even the heart, and if your lucky, it may just crush every bone in your body. That is what a revelation really is. Dramatic!

Below are 2 pictures. One of the pictures could possibly be the thing I love most in life. Yes..... They are bikes and not cameras. The picture of the back of the bike is one of the greatest things I have purchased.... Now, its not the greatest because of WHAT it is... It is great and important and meaningful because of what is has done for my life. Its because of the friendships made with it, because of the amazing places it has been. Because of the suffering experienced on it. And because of the failure I have felt on it. Having such experiences on such an inanimate object might be weird for some... But if you think about it, I guarantee, everyone has something that has that power over them.

Now, the Revelation part.....

Photography is not something that can be conquered. It is not something that has a start and an end. I would almost go on the record and say that there may not be a photographer alive that says they have conquered photography. Photography is at the purest most naked way, a lifetime journey. It is impossible to say... “I am going to take the best pictures of my life this year and then I will be happy”.... You wont. You wont be happy, you wont be satisfied. You will see more, you will find more to shoot.... the best pictures of your life are not shot yet..........

Why the bikes? Because I miss them. Because I gave them up to “focus” on photography. And it was not until every bone in my body was crushed by the revelation that photography cannot be simply “focused” on for a year, did I realize that I cannot give up one part of my life, for a part that will take my entire life........

thanks for reading.