I remember sitting in my high school photography class, the lights were dim while we looked at slides.   My adorable teacher, Mrs. McManus, was showing us famous photographs.   I don’t remember much about the class in general, except I remember making a slide show to Mr. Big LOL.   Well regardless of my questionable memory….. there were a few images that really made an impact on the way I viewed photography and began to fall in love with it.   I just remember thinking how cool it would be to be a photographer for a living.  Funny how things work out, even if my path to get there was a little crazy.

Now, I’m not really a history buff or anything…. but these historical images stuck with me.  I had seen all the Ansel Adams, but these images really did something different.    I wanted to know the stories behind them, I wanted more.   They evoked emotion for sure, and they are a stamp in time that I don’t know much about.

   And I still get the same emotions when looking at these as I did back then.

1.   Harlem Renaissance, Couple in Raccoon Coats, by James Van Der Zee.
I love this picture for so many reasons.   Reason’s I can’t really find the words for today….but I have faith Gracie will grow up in a world where the color of our skin is a non issue.   

2.   “Migrant Mother” by Dorothea Lange
This one made me feel like images could be used to make a difference…. to document truth.

3.  “Lunch Atop a Skyscraper” by Charles C. Ebbets
This one I just loved, I had a huge print of it in my room…. so great and candid, and true.