Ron Hurt Photos

My First Look Through the Lens

My interest in photography began in 1968 when I was stationed at Iraklion Air Station on the Greek island of Crete. I was sent to Crete to start a base newspaper and write articles for our command magazine, The Spokesman, as well as the Stars and Stripes, which was distributed in Europe.  I would often ask George Diapolo, our base photographer, to take photos to go with my articles.  I had never owned a camera but after becoming friends with George, I would sometimes help him in the photo lab.  At first, it was the darkroom process that fascinated me.  I then decided I wanted to start taking my own photos so George sent me out with a  Graflex Speed Graphic, a large, cumbersome camera that felt like it weighed 50 pounds.  After learning how to develop film and make prints, George said I needed my own camera.   I decided on a 35mm Pentax Spotmatic, a sturdy camera that also had a light meter.  That camera was my constant companion for the several years I spent on Crete and many years afterwards. The world has now moved on to digital photography and instead of a darkroom there are a number of computer generated programs that are available to edit, print or display images.  But one thing remains constant for photographers and that is, amateurs or professionals alike, we are trying to capture a moment in time that we want to share with viewers.  So I am sharing these photos in my blog.  I hope some of them might even speak to you.  If so, that will be my reward.