As the year draws to a close, we often pause for a moment of reflection. I ask your indulgence in allowing me a little latitude to reflect on three photographers who had an enormous impact on my career: Tom Nuesca, Jim Downey and Rick Myers.

	Philip at McCosh Drugstore
	c. 1978
	Photo by Tom Nuesca

Tom Nuesca – I first met Tom in January 1976, after receiving a Minolta 201 for Christmas. My Dad, a portrait photographer in college who remained connected to his old craft creating the annual Christmas card photo of my sister and I, had given me the camera saying the guy at the drug store camera department had said to come on by if I had any questions. For the next four years I was a permanent fixture in the department. I think the counter would have fallen down if I hadn’t been there to prop it up! Tom was always enthusiastic, giving and excited about photography. Leaning there, I spent countless hours talking to Tom and other photographers about anything and everything photographic. In the beginning there was instruction on f-stops and shutter speeds, ASA and metering. Later there were discussions about lighting, composition, critiques and helpful tips. From Tom I learned the basics and the sheer love of the photography.

Jim Downey – was the local portrait photographer. In high school he hired me to do black and white printing – it was a great job. My Dad had taught me basic darkroom techniques, we had a darkroom in the basement of our house where I processed and printed black and white, color negatives and slides. When I went to work for Mr. Downey I felt I had a relatively good grasp of darkroom work . . . what I didn’t have was an eye for print quality! My main duty was to make enlargements from copy negatives of people’s old photographs. I’d disappear into the darkroom and work hard to get a good print from these flat negatives, when I had what I thought was a good print I’d take it to Mr. Downey for his approval, then back to the darkroom for reprinting!! In my opinion the best way to learn good printing technique is to make prints from copy negatives for a perfectionist. From Mr. Downey I learned the meaning of craftsmanship and taking pride in a quality print.

Rick Myers – is a staff photographer/reporter for the Scottsbluff Star-Herald. My senior year in high school I cranked up my courage and put together some of my best images and presented them to the publisher of the Star-Herald. All I remember about my first portfolio presentation is that one of the images wound up on the front page of next morning’s paper - - - with my byline! I also had a job as a sports stringer. Rick was my “boss” giving me assignments and pre-editing my images before they went to the Sports Editor. I remember covering wrestling at Lake Minatare High school. On the darkroom wall was a chart of venues with exposure settings and processing times, consulting the chart for Lake Minatare I saw: wide open @ 1/60 sec, process for as long as possible before deadline and PRAY!! When I arrived at the gym it was obvious that the only light came from a single candle up in the rafters! I’m not sure how anyone in the stands could see what was going on on the mat. When I got back to the paper Rick coached me on using the high energy developer Acufine - put the film in the developer, walk away and don’t even THINK about agitating the film – 30 or 45 min. later I finished off the film and made surprisingly good prints from that cave of a gymnasium. From Rick I learned the importance of getting results on a deadline, and how to get something out of impossible situations.

One thing all three of these people possessed was a passion for what they did. For them, photography was much more than a job – it was a way of life. Sadly Jim Downey was killed in a boating accident in 2005. His son Tom is now the fifth generation carrying on the family portrait business. When I was back in Scottsbluff this summer for a class reunion, I stopped by the studio to say HI, Tom gave me a tour of the studio – it was a strange mingling of old and new. The hallway darkroom where I once labored in the dark was now re-purposed as a workspace. The color darkroom still had the old enlargers in place but the counter space was a repository for odds and ends. As I stood in the backroom remembering old times, I saw hanging on the narrow wall between two doors images from my time at the studio – I barely recognized the frizzy haired senior looking back at me. This was Mrs. Downey’s “brag” wall, senior portraits of the staff, along with candid shots and mementos of a moment in time.

The miracle of photography . . . it’s ability to freeze time, to remind us of what once was and where we came from.