While the evening job as a "maintenance technician" was ok while I was going to college, I was now married and owned a home. Running off to LA to work as a cinematographer wasn't going to be in the cards, so I decided to see where my degree would take me at Kodak. In my off hours I would work at building a reputation as a nature photographer and color printer. I really did not want a full time job as a photographer at Kodak, most end up working exclusively in the studio or a stuck in a darkroom. I wanted to preserve my photography for myself. Photographing nature and landscapes was a solo ritual that I enjoyed and I feared being forced to photograph everyday might ruin it for me.
In 1980, I applied for a transfer based on my new degree. I was informed that because my BFA was not a BS (bachelor of science) degree, I wasn't eligible for a professional position at Kodak. Even though I took almost all the same classes. They offered me a position in the Consumer Products Quality Assurance Lab at Elmgrove Plant, as a photographic technician. I accepted the job because it paid more than any place else in Rochester could have offered. I figured it was temporary, only until I made a name for myself as a nature photographer. It would turn out very differently than I thought. |
