Okay, I'll chime in too since it seems like a good thing to do and a
currently popular thread.
I consider myself to be a semi-newcomer to the list myself...but I guess
I have been here for a bit over 2 years now. My first introduction to
"the net" was way back when I worked for Atari HCD and had a 1200 baud
acoustic modem and some kludgy text only version of CompuServe that
didn't last long. I more recently became active on the web in the early
1990s. I live in Santa Cruz, California, on the Northern end of the
beautiful Monterey Bay with my wife, Lena, and our three children.
My interest in photography began in the late 1960s as a kid when a
relative gave me an Argus C3. By the time I was about 12 I learned the
fine art of wheeling and dealing and (I don't recall the details) wound
up getting some kind of an Exakta SLR that gave me problems and was
traded in for a different model Exakta. I had just moved to the Monterey
area and also had a growing interest in auto racing stemming from
watching races on TV in the 1960s (ABC's Wide World of Sports) and
getting my new step-dad (begging more like) to take me to Laguna Seca
starting with the 1967 CanAm race there. In the early 1970s my
photographic interest was nature. My grandfather introduced me to the
work of Ansel Adams at a very young age since he was the NPS Ranger who
guided Ansel through Carlsbad Caverns--thus had some of his work and a
great appreciation. One family heirloom we have is an 8x10 "snapshot" so
to speak of my grandma he gave my grandfather. I noticed a new camera
store going in, and as the kid who liked to hang out and bug the
salespeople in camera stores, I went in and introduced myself. I must
have been about 12 or 13. The owner took a liking to me and was also
opening up a rental lab next to the retail store. He offered to put me
to work, sweeping, helping build the lab, and later on keeping the lab
clean, chemicals mixed, etc. This was all for trade out exchange for
free lab time, film, paper, etc. The place (Darkroom Lab and Camera in
Monterey) became somewhat of a hangout for many local photographers,
some of whom took me under their wings and helped me to learn. At that
time I idolized the work of the likes of Weston and Adams, etc., and
spent a fair bit of time at Point Lobos shooting black and white
abstract shapes, etc. I also must mention Diane Beaston and Jesse
Alexander, among countless others, as favorite photographers whose work
I admire and gain inspiration from. Throughout my teen age years I read
many books, studied with some great photographers who inspired and
encouraged me, and as I was going to several "hippy free school" type
schools I helped build labs and teach black and white photography to
fellow students and teachers (three different schools I did this at as I
was growing up). In this time I had a fascination with "toys" and had a
Leica M2 and later a Liecaflex--but couldn't afford anything but 50/2
Summicrons for either one. When the OM-1 came out I was immediately
enamored and convinced my grandma to buy me one if I gave the M2 to my
grandpa and sold the Liecaflex. That was around 1973 and the beginnings
of Zuikoholism.
As I got into my late teens my interest in photography (and auto racing)
waned in favor of bicycle racing, sailing, partying, etc. but started to
come back around 1979 or so. In the early 1980s I had become a racing
fanatic once again and started taking my OM-1 to the races. I started
scrounging some lenses at flea market, etc. to build up a modest kit. In
1986 I got a little more serious and bought a new OM-2S, Winder 2,
Tokina RMC 80-200/4, Pelican case, Gitzo mono-pod, and other bits and
started to get really serious. My results took a dramatic jump in
1986-1987 so I started entering Cibachrome prints of my racing work in
Santa Cruz County Fair (which to this day has the largest judged photo
exhibition of any County Fair in California--or so they say). In the
late 1980s and early 1990s I started winning many awards (mostly
honorable mention, a few seconds, and a couple firsts) in the
"professional/advanced photojournalism" division. I was starting to get
more awards than the local full-time working pro racing photographers
which was very encouraging. In 1990 the Tokina developed a nasty case of
fungus so I replaced it with a Tamron SP 60-300. I had dreams (forever
really) of turning pro and making a living doing what I loved and
created a business name (Motor Sports Images was the name I used--now I
find out it is being used by one of the larger US racing photography
businesses--I'm not sure now who used it first--no matter) some
letterhead, cards, and started submitting work to various magazines. I
was crushed when there were no responses. I recall going to races and
shooting from the spectator areas, looking longingly at those on the
other side of the fence with their fancy cameras and big lenses--often
leaving in tears of frustration, knowing that given the opportunity I
could do it too. Around that time my life took a big hit with my first
wife bailing and leaving me with a 2 year old boy and 9 month old
daughter. Racing photography became a dashed hope and impossible dream.
Only a few months later my angel came and rescued me in the form of
Lena, who is now my wife. In helping me pick of the pieces of life she
also helped to encourage me to start picking up doing what I loved and
started coming to races with me.
In 1999 a friend was making it big selling on eBay and he convinced me I
really should try selling some photos there. I did try, made a few sales
and was encouraged. At that time I also was introduced to the Editor of
the Audi Quattro Club (now Audi Car Club of North America) magazine,
quattro quarterly, who took an immediate liking to my work. In April of
1999 I bought myself the url "motorsportvisions.com" for my birthday
present to myself and founded my racing photography business. A friend
loaned me a slide scanner and I was off and running. With the help of
quattro quarterly I was starting to be one of those people on the "other
side of the fence" and was getting some print sales that first year. I
was pleased, but after failing miserably the first time at this was
feeling very cautious and just enjoying the moment(s).
In early 2000 (I think) I stumbled upon this list community and having
been a very long-time member of the Audi "quattro list" knew how these
places could be great resources to share camaraderie and knowledge. Hard
core zuikohoilism really took off. More and more editors were taking a
liking for my work (unfortunately mostly web site owners who couldn't
pay for assignments with anything more than media credentials and
advertising exposure) and my website was becoming quite a hit with the
fans. Print sales were doing well, along with some commercial image
usage rights sales. In the past two years I have put together the
present kit I am using for film with the help of list member's advice
(and in some cases great deals on equipment--thank you all!) and keep
plodding along trying to grow this business. It is a part-time business
in that I must still have a day job to support my family, but real and
on the up and up in the IRS's eyes, and has shown steady growth. In late
2000 I started shooting some Audi club events for the magazine with
print sales promotional help from the club. I know feel as though a once
totally dashed dream is coming true for me. I still shoot for myself
first, I am always my own worst critic, and always striving to improve
and learn. My new hope and goal is to somehow grow this business to
full-time around when the kids leave the nest and my wife and I are more
able to travel away from home. Presently I am shooting mostly in my
region at about a dozen events per season. I now have an Eastern US
affiliate who shoots for me for the club magazine (lucky guy just did
Sebring for me and has plans to do a belated honeymoon with his wife at
Le Mans this year) with whom I share client prospects and ideas (he too
has a day job working for Roush Racing as a suspension engineer but has
the same dreams I do).
As everyone here must (painfully) know by now I am shooting a fair bit
of digital since last November when my wife encouraged me to take the
plunge and buy an E-10 when she saw me fondling it one day. I'm not
giving up film at all and am one of the few throwbacks out there in the
flock of media photographers shooting with throwback manual focus gear
and am very proud of carrying on tradition with one of the greatest 35mm
SLR systems ever created. I owe a huge debt of gratitude to this list
and with to thank everyone for the help and inspiration I get here and
can only hope I am giving some back others here along the way.
That's my story and I'm stickin' to it ;-)
Mike Veglia
Motor Sport Visions Photography
http://www.motorsportvisions.com
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