Lens4anEye

Robert Carlson Photographer Bio My endeavors to show and sell my photography are constant even if not yet effective. I go about getting the images, deciding on finishing touches and putting them out into public. All this effort in the hope of being discovered by an influential person (or two). I'm like the actors and actresses who respond to casting calls. I have my headshots and bio all printed to hand out to everyone who might be the person who knows someone who would want to meet me and talk about our mutual desires. In the days of my youth I'd venture out into the world to explore new horizons. I'd drive the backroads of western Pennsylvania, Maryland, Ohio, West Virginia cataloging the sights and places to which to return. The rivers and trails of the Laurel Highlands and the valleys in between were the subject of my cameras and then my literary pen. I was a fortunate young man to have The Famous Blue Fury and the pocket money for gas. I kept TripLogs of everywhere I explored. Sometimes the trip was with my childhood buddy (now deceased) or with my girlfriend (now a regular reason to go home for a visit). Many times the trip was solo giving me time and inclination to merely BE in the same moment as the subject of my lens. I had nobody to consult on how often I would stop for a picture or turn around to go back to something I have sped by. It was on one of those outings with my then girlfriend I experienced the misadventure which would shape my life for the next (so far) 50 years. One must trust his equipment and make sure it is in excellent condition. Mine that day wasn't. I had been rappelling and mountain climbing for several years with only minor incidents. This day would be different. With no warning my rappel line sheared and gravity took over. It was a short fall but one with dire results. My back was broken. I had already taken my last steps in this life when I stepped over the precipice and started my descent. From that day forth my every movement would include wheels. Well except for the time I went parasailing hanging beneath a tethered parachute and when I was rafting the white water of the Youghiogheny River. My love of travel, photography and solitude was not diminished only made more complex. Along with a change of clothes I had that four-wheel thing to schlep along. I had several jobs in my salary days which required me to travel. Travel was sometimes to remote communities in extremely rural states. Helena, Arkansas and Aberdeen, South Dakota both come to mind. These work trips usually involved one or two flights followed by hours of driving. These were opportunities for photography. Sometimes I'd just schedule a flight to some destination and go. New Orleans turns out to be one of them. Fate would have it my trip was only months before hurricane Katrina swept through inundating the city. As always it is not only the refined locations which are of interest to me. The loss and degradation of what used to be is the subject of my eye. Railroads were an obvious choice of subject. The loss of passenger services to automobiles, buses and airplanes leave their relics strewn across the landscape and many times only an artifact or two remain. Buildings falling down mean that soon the opportunity to capture the scene will be as fleeting as a sunset or sunrise. Roofs represent the safety of shelter against the elements. And the subject of "Street Coins" represents the progress of civilization. Those manhole covers, meter and valve boxes, and storm drains have a odd beauty all their own. I find myself sighting in on all of these subject whenever I see them and everywhere I go. On Getting Discovered Famous and well known artists, actors, politicians, photographers and singers didn't just happen. They were discovered and promoted by someone who knew the market and had influence. Many of the great masters of music composition and painting were never as famous in their lives as in the centuries after. That fame came as the result of influential people supporting them by commissioning their work and spreading the word of their work among the aristocracy of their time. Today is little different. If the right person says they like your work (whatever that may be) it can become huge. Appreciation breeds appreciation. Some promoters even become famous as "influencers" by being influential for the correct things. Being the unknown artist is the path to never being known. But getting that first big chance can turn around everything. Sigourney Weaver was a relative unknown before she did the Alien movie. On that exposure and success she did two sequels. She said in an interview she was paid $20,000 for the first one and she won't talk about her payments for the other two. The point here is the casting director chose her and her career exploded. She always had the skills as do thousands of acting hopefuls but she was given the opportunity to shine. If she did a poor job, her follow up obscurity would be on her. J. K. Rowling was turned down by two dozen or more publishers who did not want to publish her first Harry Potter book. She decided to self publish and it was a smash. Publishers lined up to make overtures to be the publisher of her following series. No was her response. The Beatles took the American scene by proverbial storm in the decade of the '60s. However, they had already performed together over 1,200 time in small coffee house venues across Europe before becoming an "instant" success. The "unknown" band got the services of a promoter and boom, there they were. For every band like the Beatles there are a thousand bands who never made it. They weren't even one-hit-wonders. Nada. Dead out of the box. My efforts at marketing are to be one who wins. I continue honing my technical skills to tell my story. Now is the time for discovery.