Documented Life     An Autodocumentary    


Above: San Francisco, Summer 1972. "The coldest winter I ever spent..." etc.

 

Once, my family took a brief trip to San Francisco, where my mother snapped the picture above.

In the summer of 1972 (right), following my first year at Le Conte Junior High School, my parents sent me to camp ISOMATA. It was primarily a music camp, but I was there for the photography program. It was at this time that I first learned how to use a dark room, and to burn through rolls of film in search of the right image.

Because we were middle class my parents made investments in my human capital. This was one of the wisest they made.

There are just a few pictures of me on those roles of film from camp. In the picture (above, right) I am sucking on a straw in juice bottle. There is a splint on my thumb. I broke my thumb a few days before camp, and had to wear the splint the whole time.

In the picture below right, I photographed myself in the cabin mirror.

During 1972 I finished seventh grade, and began the first months of eighth grade at LeConte Junior High School, in Hollywood, California.

In those years I and my friends spent a lot of time skate boarding around the steep Hollywood Hills, and jumping bikes in dirt lots. Here are a few shots of me and some friends busy with this endless activity.

Above: Miles grabs air.

Above: Steve Levan and Bret Wagner do a double jump.

Above: In the 8th grade I was in the "stage crew." Mr. Autrey/Audrey was the teacher. I learned to operate the large auditorium projector and stage lights, and was even entrusted with the video camera, a novel toy at the time. Much time was spent sitting around doing absolutely nothing. It was a good gig in the tyrannical institution known as Junior High School.

 

 

 

Right: Silly hat party (just the four of us) on Christmas morning at Ledgewood Drive. Photoprocessing date of January 1973. Other photos in series show Christmas presents, fixing date. My father is in foreground.

Above and below: Camp Idyllwild-ISOMATA, Where I learned a lot about photography.

Above: Observing myself in mirrors already, 1972, Camp ISOMATA

Above: Eric jumps while other kids watch. Provenance: The exact date of this series of bike shots is uncertain, but its located near other 1972 shots in my negative books and its close enough to 1972.

Above: With Evon Hochstein at Falcon Studios, Hollywood California. We fenced. The neighborhood kids in the Hollywood Hills (including a certain future chairman of the FCC, one Bill Kennard) really enjoyed making fun of our sport. The date is uncertain, but between 1971 and 1973.

Above: Tak Samika ("Thanks very much" in Swedish), aka Tak, (b ca 1964 - d. ca 1979). She was a very good dog whom I loved very much. She and I were pals.

 

home