Very first photos ever sold? Guess this brings up another question, What was the subject of the first photo you ever sold and who did you sell it to?
Mine was a picture of a bunch of pelicans resting on a dock with moorings. When I took the film to a local lab, the owner loved it and offered to buy if from me to make a custom postcard for advertising. I was caught off guard as no one had asked to buy one of my photos before so I just asked for free processing. That was about a $30 bill. He agreed and my first sale was history. This was in the middle '80's. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- J.C. O'Connell mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] http://jcoconnell.com ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- -----Original Message----- From: frank theriault [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Saturday, December 27, 2003 9:27 AM To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: Re: Photography: Fun or Profit???? Shel, Please tell me that the fish was in exchange for the very first photograph you ever "sold"! That would make it the perfect story (not that such a thing exists <g>). I truly enjoyed your recollection, Shel. cheers, frank "The optimist thinks this is the best of all possible worlds. The pessimist fears it is true." -J. Robert Oppenheimer >From: Shel Belinkoff <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> >Reply-To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] >To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] >Subject: Re: Photography: Fun or Profit???? >Date: Fri, 26 Dec 2003 23:11:59 -0800 > >This bit of discussion reminded me of a very profitable and very fun >instance in the >summer of 1968, when I was just getting started in photography. > >At the time I had very little money, and was living in a storefront in San >Francisco. The storefront had a big darkroom in back, and, downstairs, in >the >"bargain basement" as we called it, a couple of home built drying cabinets >for >negatives. > >In those days I'd be up early, and start wandering through the city, a >"flâneur" >photographer, looking for things to photograph. On this one particular day >I was >walking down Mission Street, a big shopping area at the time, which was >filled with >restaurants, shoe stores, butchers, poultry markets, five-and-dime stores, >radio >repair shops, and the like. You know the kind of street I'm describing. >Anyway, I >walked by a fish monger, and there, in the window, standing ankle deep in >ice, >wearing high, rubber boots and white aprons, were the two owners of the >shop holding >a fish that was about six feet long. It took the two of them to hold it, >and they >were standing side-by-side in the window, facing the street. They were >going to >place the fish on the ice for display. The timing was right, and I snapped >a quick >exposure while they were looking right at me, smiling, holding this fish, >and >looking like they just stepped off the boat. You could almost smell the >sea in that >1/125 of a second. > >I stuck my head in the shop and told them that I'd return with a print for >them, and >later that day I delivered a nice 11 x 14 printed on Agfa Brovira (some of >you will >understand - vbg). > >They were quite pleased, and asked me to wait a moment as they had >something for >me. In a few minutes one of the guys returned with a big package, and told >me to >enjoy dinner. When I got back to the studio I opened the wrapping paper, >and there >were a couple of nice, fresh crabs, some shrimp, and some halibut. I >called my >girlfriend and she brought some salad fixin's and a bottle of crisp, white >wine, and >that evening, sitting on boxes and with a box for a table, we had a >wonderful dinner >by candle light. > >That was one of the best days I ever had making photographs. > >Shel > >Boris Liberman wrote: > > > Hi! > > > > ft> But, you know what? As much fun as I get from it, I think it goes >way > > ft> deeper than that for me. I'm going to sound all stupid and >pretentious now, > > ft> but you know what? Photography is my form of self-expression. So >over the > > ft> last number of years, it goes way beyond fun. It's almost (but not >quite) > > ft> an obsession. I no longer carry a camera because it's fun, but >because I > > ft> have to. Not in a weird sort of "I'd panic if I ever left the house >without > > ft> my camera" sort of way, but in a "I get a lot of self-fulfillment by > > ft> recording some of the world around me" sort of way. > > > > No, you did not sound "all stupid and pretentious"... Not that I have > > to take my camera with me always, but almost always on weekends... > > > > Sometimes, I feel like you do. Not too often, but sometimes I do. > > > > I must say that my previous serious hobby was PDAs. It lasted some 4 > > years or so and I was very good in knowing why one OS is better than > > some other OS given some conditions. Also I got some good friends > > through some web-communities. > > > > But then I kind of returned to photography and, man, I feel > > wonderful... > > > > So if they start throwing whatever it is customary to throw in such a > > case, they'd have two targets <g>... > > > > Cheers! > > > > P.S. Thumbs up to J.C. for starting this thread. > _________________________________________________________________ STOP MORE SPAM with the new MSN 8 and get 2 months FREE* http://join.msn.com/?page=dept/bcomm&pgmarket=en-ca&RU=http%3a%2f%2fjoin.msn .com%2f%3fpage%3dmisc%2fspecialoffers%26pgmarket%3den-ca
