The Navy Photographer

My Dad served in the Navy for 20 years. He was a WWII POW, caught after the three-month battle of Bataan in the Philippines starting December 7, 1941. Subsequently, he endured the 81 mile Death March. He retired in 1960. But his last two tours of duty included services as a Navy Photographer, and he wore the appropriate Navy lapel with that designation.

Yes, he was a Master Chief Radioman. He was assigned as a photographer during his tour in Morocco and his final tour in Burlington, Iowa. Who would think that the Navy had a one-building base on the Mississippi River, but he was stationed there.

After retiring from the Navy, he spent his part-time involved with photography. He had become the feature writer for the SubBase newspaper in Groton, CT. All of his articles pertained to photography and mostly about the technical aspects, such as shutter speed calibration and reviews of cameras and lenses.

My Dad became my photography mentor when I was 13 years old. He selected a Voigtlander Bessamatic to be my first 35mm camera. And then he purchased Voigtlander and Schneider lenses for his Voigtlander Ultramatic camera system; we shared the same compatible lenses.

We teamed together to photograph some local weddings. This is when I realized that I would follow in his footsteps and more so, becoming a professional photographer.

My Dad passed away during the summer of my Senior year. I felt a great loss. I was alone in my endeavor, and I had to find other means to learn the craft of photography. I went on to purchase the balance of Time/Life Photography books and complete the entire series. In a manner of speaking, these books represented the spirit of my Dad mentoring me.

Later on, I purchased books by Ansel Adams; The Camera, The Negative, and The Print became three books to aid in learning photography.

In college, I became the Yearbook photographic editor, performing the same things my Dad had taught me, creating assignments for the team of photographers, established Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) in the darkroom, editing prints, and designing the front cover of the Yearbook. Mr. Chamberlain, our Yearbook counselor, somehow managed to get a state appointed job for me as the photographic editor. I was now getting paid.

Over the years, I have learned from other professional photographers such as Bryan Peterson, Doug Gordon, David Ziser, and Rick Ferro. I have learned Photoshop and NIK Software Complete. I am a professional member of Professional Photographers of America (PPA), National Association of Photoshop Professionals (NAPP), and the Georgia Bridal Association (GBA).

Each time I go on assignment, I always remember the golden lapel of a bellow camera, the Navy Photographer's pin worn on my Dad's uniform. And to this day, I wear the pin as a constant reminder of my Dad's instruction.

I am certain, if my Dad were alive today, he would be very proud of my image making abilities and artistic creativity.

 

In His Hands - Canon EOS 7D, Tamron 18-270mm, f/16, 1/2 sec., ISO 100. Gradient Neutral Density filter, +2.  Photo taken at Tybee Island, GA while attending a Bryan Peterson Photography Workshop. Ken "Max" Parks is an Atlanta Wedding Photographer with WeddingsThruTheLens.com