Image Credit: Sam: father, husband, teller of tales, businessman, gardener, warrior, and proud Democrat © 2011 Dean Terasaki
Arizona Photography Alliance’s first Juried Theme Gallery online exhibition was a huge success. Part of the prize was the opportunity for the winning photographers to share their thoughts about the work they submitted in relation to the theme “Show Us Your Muse.” Here is First Place winner, Dean Terasaki.
AZPA: How did you get started in photography?
DT: When I was a kid, I was fascinated by a camera my father had taken from a German officer after the war. It was a Russian camera similar to a Leica rangefinder. There was a lot of precision in that camera. I saved up money and purchased a camera through close family friends on their trip to Japan. I used it to make photos for my high school yearbook – free film was great motivation! My classmates kept saying that I should pursue photography.
AZPA: What are your thoughts on the Theme Gallery for AZPA?
DT: I am glad to see Arizona Photography Alliance finding new ways to support its members. It always takes some courage to enter a competition. I was honestly a bit worried because the classic interpretation of the word, muse, is fairly sexist. I am very interested and pleased to see the range of responses.
AZPA: What was your process in selecting your image for “Show Us Your Muse”?
DT: I have been working with archival materials from my family. So it was pretty straightforward, really. I simply had to locate the most evocative photograph of my father. My hard drives and file names are fairly organized.
AZPA: What are your thoughts on being the winner for the first theme?
DT: I am honored by the recognition. I am very pleased by the warm responses that the photograph has gotten. Despite the fact, we can’t hear his laugh or see his smile, the folks that knew my father are happy to have his legacy live on. That is the most important thing to me.