The One: Little (Stunt) Brother Sao Paulo, Brazil, 1971

Introduction:

Thanks for taking a few minutes to read my first photoblog. I intend to present stories and lessons I learned taking photographs, photographing international lifestyles, tips on what not to do and must do's in preparing for your next photoshoot, photographic tips, life lessons with the camera & without, & a few jokes. So, let me take you on a journey through my camera's viewfinder.

The above photograph and other images I'll use in future Photoblogs are here to tell a story and not front-page pictures.

As a boy, I struggled in school, which made me feel less than the other children in my class. I suffered from an invisible handicap called Dyslexia. Dyslexia is a real issue for children; if not caught early, it can lead to a difficult path for the rest of one's life. Being unable to keep up with the other students, having difficulty spelling, reading in class is a challenge, or doing the math. All are genuine issues unless you discover you have Dyslexia, and from what you'll learn in time, you will have 'unique skills.'

I was a lucky soul as my mother pushed me into special dyslexia education classes. I discovered sports, art, music, film, and at 13yrs. the darkroom. The darkroom experience allowed me to tell my photographic stories. The Yester-Years website, www.Tedmcdonnellphoto.net, presents an evolution in my personal growth as I found my way to communicate where others might use words.

Paul McDonnell & (BF) Mark Myers, Sao Paulo, Brazil, 1971

Discovering my Unique Skills:

On my 10th Birthday, I received my first Instamatic Kodak camera. I was unsure what to do with a plastic camera except for the classic 'horrible' holiday pics, pictures of my brother, sister, and friends in very stiff - still positions.

It took just one picture that gave me a new self-awareness and the understanding I was not getting from school. This one picture I took of my little brother jumping off the couch's armrest, flipping head over heels onto the sofa. I did not expect the results; the camera with its black and white film captured my brother in his school uniform: (white shirt, dark pants) mid-air against grey curtains with his head down in a tucked. My entire life changed the day when I got the film back. That one picture taught me the importance of light, shades of greys, and the importance of considering your background when photographing a subject.

I must have studied that photo for weeks as I tried to copy it several times. Each time I had different results, from blurry images to capturing him mid-air again in differing awkward positions. That was until he missed the couch and landed on his head on the cement floor.

Mom came rushing downstairs as my former stunt brother was now screaming & crying. Now refusing to participate any longer. Mom was not too pleased as she scolded me for using my little brother as a prop, but it was too late: I was going to be a photographer.

My little brother recovered and did do some modeling for me years later. One such image can be found on www.tedmcdonnellphoto.net under the 'Snapshot in Time' under the title in-house model Pablo.

Photographic Tip: Friends take your old videos, slides, photographs, and negatives to an outlet that converts all to digital film. Be aware that time is not a friend to old images and videos. Blues and greens colors start to bleed into other colors that ruin pictures. All negative film degrades over the years (white dots, blurring of photos, or scratches on negatives) as seen in the above image and is present in Videos also suffer similar effects.

Andy Milligan & John Trivison, Sao Paulo Art Museum, 1972

The One that changed everything…

2021 Ted McDonnell Photographs dreams come true