L.A. Wayman III
About the man...
I was born at the end of a tumultuous era. VietNam was wrapping up, Watergate was over, and Ford was in office, and the last thing left to worry about was "the commies". Even that was coming to an end. The Reagan days were coming, and I grew up as that typical '80's kid, complete with skateboard and walkman. The only thing unusual about me was that my parents stayed married. These were the days that would shape my later desires though, as I would sneak into my father's study, "borrow" his pre-Spotmatic Pentax, and take photographs of my friends at the local skate park, before sneaking it back into it's cubby.
Time moved on, I learned about pinhole photography in a graphic arts class, which included time in a darkroom. I loved getting in there, making those images appear, I knew then that I wanted to do more.
An opening for a photographer opened for my school's yearbook in 1990, and that's where the momentum really picked up. Weekly assignments, and all the film I could shoot. My dad even gave me his Pentax (this time with his blessing) to make things even better! Two years that lasted, but then, as all things, it came to an end. It was time to grow up, get a real job, and become a productive member of society.
In 1992, I joined the Navy, partly to see the world, partly to do my duty, and partly just to get away. The getting away didn't exactly happen as planned though, as my first duty station was right in my home town of Jacksonville, Florida. For a number of reasons, my camera was left behind, and all hopes and dreams faded into that blur we all know.
Ten years later, (and a lot of things inbetween) I picked the camera back up. Things were a little different though, as I didn't have the old Pentax anymore, only a point and shoot Nikon 4300. My wife had taken a photography class in college, and had to shoot weekly assignments. It reminded me so much of my younger days, I couldn't help but to shoot with her. She had a Nikon FA though, and the 4300 just wasn't cutting it. I called back to my father for the old trusty Pentax, only to find out it was long gone. Undeterred, I picked up a K1000 at a garage sale, and soon enough found myself in my own darkroom, making the magic happen again!
Since then, I of course have joined the digital revolution, though I have stayed with Pentax, now shooting the K10D. It still takes all my old lenses, and it's strong as a tank.
So what inspires me? I ask myself that all the time. I meet so many wondrous people, in such unusual places, that I never have to find inspiration, it finds me. Waiting for sunrise in the city, I've met the people who live under the pier. Wandering the streets of Brooklyn I've met small business owners, trying to keep afloat. Trekking though upstate New York, I've found myself dozing by a tree. In my own backyard, I watch cat lazing in the sun. It's all there, and it's all a miracle.