This week we’re getting to know community member, David McCarty.
David lives in the upper midwest, North Dakota to be exact. He has been involved with photography since his teen years. David continues to take photography courses and has attended those offered by Nikon, Canon and most recently Fujifilm.
In his late 20s and early 30s he had his own darkroom and developed and printed almost all of his own black and white photos. He also experimented with color using slide processing and printing. Now his processing consists of working with Luminar 4 and LuminarAI.
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How did you get started in photography?
“I have been fascinated with how to capture images of the world that I see ever since a trip to Washington when I was in junior high. On that trip, I had my father’s Kodak Brownie camera and spent almost an entire roll shooting the Lincoln Memorial trying to communicate the sense of awe that it gave me. That was it for me, I was hooked.”
What was your first camera?
“The first camera I used was a Kodak Brownie. A Nikon F2 was the first serious camera I purchased for myself.”
Who is one photographer that inspires you and why?
“I am always drawn to the photos of Ansel Adams. The painstaking process of capturing the image, developing it and printing it to his standards inspires me. His eye for composition shows in every photo.”
What’s the first thing you look for in composing your image?
“When I go out on a photo walk, I look for things that surprise me or that make me want to share with others. I also look for something that makes me stop as if I am seeing it for the first time. Many of the images I shoot knowing that when I go to process them, they will be culled out.
“During the first photography class I attended, about 45 years ago, I was told: ‘What makes a good photographer outstanding is the images they throw away.’ While I don’t consider myself an outstanding photographer, I am getting pretty skilled at culling out the ‘almost good’ shots.”
Join David and others in the Photofocus Community!
If you’d like the opportunity to be featured like David, join the community here. More than that though, it’s a great place to meet other photographers, share images and talk about all things photography.
