It’s always a bit disheartening when you find out details about your hero’s life. We experience it all the time because we often mistakenly assign our values to a person we admire. If we like them, or what they do, they should be like us, right? It is disappointing to find out you’re wrong.
When I began photography while in college the pre-eminent student photographer was all over campus with his Hasselblad, photographing for the paper, the yearbook and anyone else that needed on-campus photographs. My fellow photography students were impressed because "he had a ‘blad, man." (OK, for you younger readers, beginners used 35mm while the “pros” carried the medium format Hasselblad.)
I happened to run into him decades later and asked him how his photography was going. He replied that he sold all his gear right after graduation and got a job.
“What about photography?” I asked. His reply was, “Oh, I just used it to meet girls.”
I don’t know whether my disappointment occurred because his commitment to photography wasn’t long term, or I never thought of using my camera to meet girls.
The pantheon of former heroes and inspirational personalities continues to grow.
Here's what I was photographing in college, instead of using my camera to meet girls.
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