CAMERA “i”…… A LOOK BEHIND THE LENS…. w/ JERRY MILTON… by JUSTIN BUZZCRUSHER

In the relatively short ( compared to  infinity) time I have been alive, I have always been intrigued by a few things. Music, words and images. In this series, CAMERA “i”,  I attempt to enter the topic of images, and more specifically, the world of photography. Just one medium in a universe of images. You can send me your list of  ALL possible image mediums, as soon as you find the last possible one. In other words images are an ever evolving medium. And what we see, is largely shaped up of what we will take the time to look at. And that list, in MY world , seems ever growing and never ending.  For many it is art: drawings,paintings, etchings etc. For some,  art is found in the power and cohesion of a well acquainted symphony, acquainted with each other,  and with the music. For others, it is the beautiful sunrise on the dunes of a beach that may paint a picture in your mind. Pictures not only take us to a place, they can take us through time. In a split second. They can bring back feelings, smells, music and many other sensual memories…. Pictures are a very powerful entity. I have always loved the idea of photography, but personally never pursued it after my high school elective class as a senior. Photos have the power of suspending time, catching a surfer on the crest of a merciless wave. Or… the face of a human, with brows furrowed by worry; each line around their eyes, nose and mouth tell their own story.

The photographer uses the angles, and the light which creates the colors, to capture the moment. As the old “adage” goes: “Take a picture, it lasts longer.”  Yes, the camera’s eye opens and closes and a moment in time is “captured” forever. Has time favored the visual artist? The early image creators may have used the carbon ash from burned wood or scorched stones, to document on the cave walls:  what they saw, what they fought and how they may have survived. Cave drawings seem to depict LIFE. Through the ages the artist has used an endless array of what they could find in the world around them, or use a knowledge of some kind to manipulate that oil, pigment, brush and canvas.  But what made artists toil and dedicate so much time to their craft? What made them use colors and textures in finely placed layers to create their vision of a space in time? Is it the need to use a visual medium to declare to the world: “This is what I saw or imagined at one place in time. I was HERE….I EXISTED ! I SHARED! ” ??
So we can agree that visual art has CHANGED through the eons, but did it IMPROVE the art? For stark realism, the photos of Margaret Bourke-White show the soul within. One picture is worth an infinite number of words…….

Being a person prone to extremes, at a young age, I would peruse the heavy tomes known as The Encyclopedia Britannica series; where almost every letter had its’ own volume (approx. 4 to 5 lbs.), save the few “smaller” letters that would share the same book. The images and the text of the encyclopedia enthralled me and I would start at page one of the “S” book… and look, read, see and learn my way through, page by page until the end. When I began t0 be more enthralled with PHOTOS, the more extreme it was, the more it would intrigue me. The extremist in me drew me to photos of war. Photos of battle. Photos of life in the mouth of hell with little hope of leaving without some sort of mortal penance paid. What makes a person want to go into that melee to chronicle the acts of valor, avarice, defeat and desperation? Often not trained soldiers, but in the fray, nonetheless !

One of the first “photo journalists” of this style of “run for your life photography”.  The first to stick his head up to “get the shot” when soldiers around them were on the ground, hoping they DIDN’T get shot was a war time photographer with a lifetime in the field of combat photography. That person is Robert Capa. This Hungarian born photographer forever changed the world’s perceptions of the grim reality of modern war. His first assignment was in the Spanish Civil War. He went on to cover World War II. The 1948 Arab-Israeli War and the First Indochina War.
Again I am intrigued by what the artist will do to get “the shot”. Making a hobby into a living ‘aint bad work,  if you can get it. But you have condemned yourself to a lifetime of toting bags full of flashes, lenses, batteries, FILM ( A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away) and other assorted tools of the trade. Through trials and tribulations where I would be lucky to account for my pants and shoes, these folks pack it in, get the shots, break it down and get it home. Modern day photographers  can be likened,  in a less “fatal” way,  to combat photographers; especially in the hyper kinetic world of “Live Music”. Bands. Tours. Parties. Shows. Celebrations. Hootenannies. Hoe Downs !!! A world of busted eyes, shots to the ribs, stage divers landing on your head, beer bottles that you could have dodged if your eye was looking around you,  instead of through the view finder.

Sacrificing life and limb to document the look on the guitarists’  face, as  he/she  rips out that solo, with their teeth clenched and sweat steadily dripping from their chin. Is the extent of our “art” to be measured by the blood, sweat and tears we sacrifice to create it? Maybe so. Maybe it is more than we can quantify, but for the instant the shutter closes and opens, we were THERE at that point in time. We EXISTED !!! We CAPTURED”!!! We SHARED !!

The power of a photo is infinite and limited only by the perception of the viewer. Some world cultures believe a photo can “steal your soul”. But the true power of the photograph is in the “i” of the beholder.

This month,  the man behind the camera is Jerry Milton. Long time photographer and visual artist, Jerry has reached for that golden ring. The hard earned “luxury” of turning a one time hobby, into a lifetime occupation. I have seen Jerry behind the camera since 1986, the year I met him; popping shots of everything and anything going on in our little world at the time. West Campus Co-op living, parties, shows, protests, skate ramps and shindigs! Balancing it all while studying engineering at the University of Texas.
I have “shot” a few questions to Jerry, to better know the person behind the camera.
These are the words and photos of Jerry Milton, this month’s Rank and Revue Camera “i” of the month:

Jerry Milton:

Weapons of Choice:
Nikon D700 w/ D7000 for back up….I’ll probably sell the D7000 once the D600 comes out.http://www.jerrymilton.com/?page_id=82

R&R – Well, Jerry, let’s start with the essentials… What is your name, rank and serial number? Okay, just kidding. Where were you born and raised?

Jerry- I was born in Houston, Texas. I was raised in the West University section of Houston.

R&R – When did you come to Austin?

Jerry- I hit Austin in July of 1983, two months after graduating high school. I came to Austin to study Electrical Engineering at the University of Texas at Austin. Paul “Crow” Willis was in some of my classes.

R&R- Cool, I remember meeting Paul and many other folks from the “scene” on the West Mall of the U.T. campus. Electrical Engineering seems like a daunting major which must have kept you busy. When did you “catch” the shutter “bug” ?

Jerry- In 1979…when I talked my mother into buying me a Canon AV-1 in St. Thomas (while on a cruise).

R&R- Okay, cool, so you were already interested in photography for a few years before moving to Austin. When I first met you, you seemed to always be toting a camera AND a skateboard at all times. Did you first start taking pics at skate ramps or live music shows?

Jerry – My buddy that I grew up with had an older brother in THE ZEALOTS that played at the ALE HOUSE in Houston….we would sneak in (as we weren’t of age yet)…and I would bring my camera too…plus alot of my friends were in bands. Didn’t start taking skating pictures until I hit Austin.

R&R- So it all started at “live” shows. I remember the Ale House, I think. Plenty of inspiration and subjects at live music shows. Speaking of subjects, what are your favorite ones to photograph?

Jerry – Bands, sports and inanimate objects (they can’t talk back)….

R&R – At their very base value, photos capture a moment in time. Moments, once they pass, are considered history. Do you consider yourself a visual historian?

Jerry – I prefer to take the kind of pictures that aren’t “posed”….which is why I like taking Live band shots…and when I shoot people…I usually entertain them with taking the posed kind they they have in mind…but tend to sneak in pics of them when as I am just talking to them. So yeah, in the “live action” field of photography, I do.

R&R – You have some classic photos from 1986 (that I know of) until today. Besides the advent of the cell phone camera, your hated nemesis,  how has the world of photography changed over the years ?

Jerry – Well…..back in film days….since one was limited to the amount of frames you could shoot (and how much film ya had with you)…one tended to have to anticipate just the right time to squeeze the shutter.  For instance when shooting half pipe skating shots….or some band member jumping in the air. Now you can press the shutter til the cows come home.   Also….one can pretty much buy a camera for 800 bucks….set it on AUTO….and call themselves a “pro photographer”. It’s an eye roller for sure.

R&R –  How have they stayed the same ?

Jerry –  I learned to shoot MANUAL on my F1-N….match needle….as the Auto settings were thrown off by the sun and too slow for shooting action flash shots…..the same holds true now….I shoot Manual 99 percent of the time….and that goes for my strobes too…they are on Manual as the “Auto” settings are a joke in a multiple strobe set up…which is how I usually shoot.  Also enough can’t be said for “framing” the shot properly….and holding the camera over your head and squeezing the trigger doesn’t count.

R&R – In my introduction, I compared live music photography to combat photography, in a hopefully LESS fatal sense. You’ve taken some “shots” for being in the trenches , are those just the hazards of the trade ?

Jerry –  Well, luckily by the time I found myself “in the pit” I already had a camera made outta titanium (Canon F1-N)…so it was kinda like having a weapon anyway….but yeah…I’ve split open my nose so many times I’ve lost count from having it knocked back into my face…and most recently was knocked out cold while shooting Blunt Force Trauma (go figure) by a blindsided punch to the jaw.  My Nikon made out better than me…survived w/o a scratch.

R&R –  Jerry, you have come a long way from the darkroom at the Ark Co-op in the mid eighties; what keeps you in the “pit” and in the “darkroom” ?

Jerry –   The love of music…and hiding behind the camera while in public.  Post processing is an art too…..though I try and not overdo it with too much manipulation.

R&R – Earlier I mentioned the “golden ring” prize of being fortunate enough, through hard work and perseverance, to turn a hobby into an occupation. Have you been able to do that with your photography ?

Jerry –  Yes, I shot a lot of PFRE (Photography for Real Estate)…and have started shooting more weddings.

R&R – Well, cool, Jerry. I appreciate you taking the time to do this, and we appreciate you sharing some of your photo “gems” with us!  In closing, do you have any advice for photographers that are “new” to the game ?

Jerry –  Turn your camera off AUTO. Buy a full frame sensor camera if you can afford it.  spend at least as much on the lens if not MORE than you do on the camera……Its all about the glass…..I can’t stand shots taken w/ cheap wide angle lenses that distort peoples heads (well unless it is a fisheye…as in it was made to do that).  you’re better off w/ a 50mm 1.8f lens…than a cheap wide angle lens.  it is and has ALWAYS been my go to lens

Well, there you have it. One person’s view of their world of photography. Join us in the months to come, where we will look BACK through the lens: into the  “i”  behind the camera.

An in depth look into the people that capture our attention and spark our imagination….  the photographers. And what goes on behind the scenes, and what drives and fuels the CAMERA “i”.

Next month Rank and Revue will talk to Pat Blashill: a published photo journalist and writer who got his start right here in Austin, Texas.
Thanx for reading, we will “see” you again next month….. Justin Buzzcrusher
*********************************************************************************************************************************