As a senior at Myers Park High School in Charlotte, NC during the 1977-78 school year, I had the opportunity to take a photography class under Byron Baldwin (a founder of The Light Factory museum and education center for photography). Under Mr. Baldwin, I developed a passion for photography, especially black & white. While attending N.C. State I took several independent study classes in photography in the School of Design while also working on the university newspaper – The Technician. I believe there is a treasure of great fine art photographs to be rediscovered from that period.
Two years later I transferred to Randolph Community College (RCC) in Asheboro, NC. The school was well known in the Southeast for its fine programs in Portraiture, Photojournalism and Commercial Photography. I received an AAS degree in the latter and did produce some good fine art work while enrolled in the program. Afterwards, I returned to N.C. State hoping to be formally accepted into the School of Design. A year later I was accepted; however, the goal of completing an undergraduate degree seemed very far away. I ended up leaving State in early 1984 and went to work as a photographer for Lowes Companies in North Wilkesboro.
When folks asked me what I did for a living, I told them I was a commercial photographer. “Oh really”, they would ask. I would jokingly go on to explain I photographed mostly 2x4s and toilet seats, and occasionally door knobs and lawnmowers. Creating photos for Lowes’s weekly newspaper insert was certainly not glamorous work. Two years later I moved to High Point, NC as a staff photographer at Norling Studios, a large facility with 15 to 20 large sets. Each set was capable of supporting a large room scene.
The city of High Point is known as the Furniture Capital of the World. Norling was one of many studios in the area that provided marketing photography for the furniture industry. After a couple of years at Norling, I would go on to freelance in the area for another 6 or so years. Ha, I met my future wife while on a freelance gig at Drexel Heritage furniture showrooms. During my years as a commercial photographer, I rarely picked up my personal camera to again pursue fine art photography. After putting in a full week at work, I suppose I didn’t want to pick up a camera on my personal time.
There was one important exception; in 1986 I bought a Commodore Amiga computer. It was way ahead of it’s time in terms of graphics, multi-tasking OS, animation and sound. This computer changed my life! I began to experiment with digital photography in 1987! I would capture photographs taken at NC State and RCC from a video camera mounted on a copy stand. The images were then imported into a paint program for manipulation. Though somewhat primitive compared to what we have today, for the time the ability to digitally manipulate images was impressive.
Around 1993, I started a multimedia business with a fellow photographer. For the next 7 years, we developed a thriving digital media production and technology services business. My creative interest evolved into video, animation, and digital audio. By the end of 1999 I had gotten out of my own business and went to work for Symetri Inc., a digital agency component of Trone Advertising. In 2002, I became a contract IT Project Manager. This continues to this day as my profession.
For Christmas 2010, I bought my wife a Nikon D3000 DSLR. It turned I would be the one using the camera the most. Slowly but surely, I began to become interested again in fine art photography. Occasionally, I would take time to embellish a photo in Photoshop Elements and share images with family and friends. When I finally purchased Adobe Lightroom 5.0 in early 2014, the program re-ignited my passion for fine art photography. The software seemed to reconnect me with my analog photography roots and notions of creative possibility. Next I upgraded to a full frame Nikon; now I’m hooked! Though I continue to make a living as a IT Project Manager and Consultant, I plan to hone my skills and get my work “out there”, mostly through participation in regional and national exhibit compositions. Let’s see where it goes! I hope you enjoy my work. I would love to hear your feedback and welcome any suggestions for improving the quality of my work.
Best Regards,
C.S. Young Jr.
Thanks for liking my post and so interesting to read about your history and connection with photography. Take care, good to be in contact.
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Hi Mo! It’s great to be among other spiritual right brained folks.
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Thank you for following Storyteller. At about the same time you were at RCC, I was working for the Winston-Salem Newspapers. — Ray
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You’re welcome, really like your abandoned shots. Several of my latest posts are from the Old North Winston area. Are you still in NC?
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Not for years. I live in New Orleans.
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I enjoy reading about your photographic journey…I too have a foundation in film-based work which I believe only adds to the enjoyment of working digitally.
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Thanks!
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Thanks for the likes and for the follow, CJ. I really like your blog and your fine art photography. Unlike you, I’m an amateur photographer and have only been photographing for three years. But it’s become my hobby and passion. I look forward to seeing more of your photography.
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Thanks Angela! You have a pro’s eye for composition, follow your passion!
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Thanks, Appreciate it!
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Thank you for stopping by my art blog, CJ. I love your urban decay photography. You really bring out the beauty in these landscapes.
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You’re so welcome, and thank you too for your visit and kind comments.
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Thank you, I appreciate your comments. I did a study/presentation on Richard Avedon back in photography school.
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Thank you for stopping by my blog. Lots of very nice photography here.
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You’re welcome, thank you for visiting my site and kind words!
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Hi. I love your images! The fact that you are from NC, my home state, makes me feel a connection. I look forward to seeing more of your posts.
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Thanks for visiting my blog and appreciating it. You have a wonderful blog and I am looking forward to learning from you.
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Love your photos, thanks for visiting my humble pages. 👍🏻
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Thanks too for the visit!
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You bet!
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I really enjoyed your story of how come back to photography, I was partially interested in your early digital work, I my self left my film camera’s on the self many years, until I invested in a Nikon D7000 financed by the sale of some old gear, but have found having a digital darkroom so liberating.
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Agreed, I’m thankful for my time in the darkroom, I feel it gave me a head start in the digital realm. But, I can achieve so much more with the tools I have today. Thanks for taking time to read my blog!
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Hi there!!!
I’m so glad to discover your blog, the fine art photography is pretty good 🙂 I do travel a lot and therefore experiment a lot with pictures. Look forward to share and learn in this virtual space.
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I Love your black and whites. Awesome shots. Thank you for sharing . You have permission to share more photos!
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Hi Candace, thank you so much for your kind comments!
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I enjoy your photography, especially of North Carolina. Where did you take the picture at the top of your blog?
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Thanks so much! There is so much diversity in NC. The shot atop my blog is from the eastern tip of Ocean Isle Beach looking across the channel to Holden Beach.
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Thanks. It reminds me of Emerald Isle. NC has wonderful beaches.
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Happy snapping, happy viewing!
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Hi CS- Thanks very much for following my photography blog. I hope you enjoy my work. Your images are beautiful.
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Your photography is incredible … a real visual treat! Hello from the uk. 🙂
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Loved your DNA post! I posted photos and thoughts on Intelligent Design, specifically related to the “sacred math” so prevalent in nature (e.g. the Fibonacci Sequence, fractals, etc.)
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I’ll look out for them when I explore your blog further, which I’m very much looking forward to. 🙂
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Here’s a cool post i did based on my sunflower composition and the “golden spiral”. Enjoy! https://wordpress.com/post/csyjr.wordpress.com/3716
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