“I got my first SLR when I took a part-time sales job during the Christmas holidays at the old Rike’s Department Store in downtown Dayton, Ohio.”
me
Hello. I’m Ven Adkins and I have been in love with photography and imagery since my early college days. It all began when a friend (thanks Tina if you happen to see this) loaned me her SLR (single lens reflex for those who may not know) to take on a vacation to Topsail Beach, North Carolina. It was great. I took some amazing shots and was so excited when I got home. When I opened the camera to take the film to the developer my jaw dropped. There was no film in the camera. For some insane reason, I assumed that it was loaded. That was a mistake I never made again.
I got my first SLR when I took a part-time sales job during the Christmas holidays at the old Rike’s Department Store in downtown Dayton, Ohio. With a degree in Mathematics in my bag, I must have impressed them and they asked if I had any particular interests in the store’s departments. I said I would love to work in the camera department and that was it. I worked for 3 months filling in behind the counter and learning about all the cameras. I didn’t cash those part-time paychecks, but just put them aside. So taking advantage of my store discount and holiday sales prices I purchased a Minolta SLR on credit. When my tenure was over, I endorsed all of the checks I collected and turned them in to pay for the camera.
After that I began reading and studying as much as I could. I took Photography classes at Sinclair Community College and the Ohio Institute of Photography.
After my father passed away in 1983, my love dwindled and I focused on my career in Information Technology. However, over the past few years it has re-emerged and is as strong as ever.
I still have that original SLR, but it sits in a closet now. I’ve gone digital now so I don’t have to worry about film anymore. I have to just make sure that I have… spare batteries.
Of course, with technological advances, I take advantage of the power of the camera on my iPhone. And I love cropping old photos to create new and interesting images.
Photography has given me great joy over the years. I hope you enjoy what you see here. And if you do, let me hear from you.
And thanks for visiting.
Ven
the website
This site has been ages in coming. There have been starts and stops for years. It finally got a kick in the pants from an amazing trip to Tanzania and I wanted to share pictures taken. Time is passing, I’m getting older. It’s time has come.
Someone asked of me about the website, “Who’s your audience?” Well, mostly me, with hopes of sharing with family and friends. And, of course, anyone else who may be interested.
The Galleries are divided into photo categories for ease in viewing. There is also a Guest Photographer page dedicated to my friend Dale Becks that was created as a special surprise.
The Tanzania Safari page contains images from an amazing recent trip to Tarangire and Serengeti National Parks, and the Ngorongoro (Crater) Conservation Area in Tanzania, Africa.
I am working on a “Family Anthology” section that will include a host of collected historical images of family and friends to be posted here so they are not forgotten and future generations might get to know a little more about where they came from.
