Happy Birthday to Me

by | May 21, 2023

Today’s Post by Joe Farace

“The two most important days in your life are the day you are born and the day you find out why.”

Mark Twain

Today, as McCartney & Lennon once sang, is my birthday. It’s fitting that I was born during what used to be known as National Photo Month, although I don’t think it was celebrated back then and doesn’t seem to be celebrated much these days either. Some of you may know that I have a website and blog about cars and once upon a time sponsored a National Photo Month contest in the past.

Now officially passing through maturity/old age/whateveryoucallit into official geezerdom and hopefully the wisdom that comes along with it, I recently have started thinking about my legacy, if there’s even a possibility for me to actually have one. As far as I can see into the future, I want to keep writing these posts sharing some of the photography tips, tools and techniques that have served me well over the past so many years. I also want to keep making videos for my YouTube channel, Joe Farace’s Videos and while shooting and editing each one remains a technical challenge for me, I do enjoy the process. I hope that you have the time to visit YouTube and look at my videos on photography, film photography and the movies. Yes, the movies! Maybe all that’s my legacy?

By the way, that’s a snapshot of me at right in 1955 or thereabouts while I was climbing the 898 steps inside the Washington Monument in DC with a genuine vinyl camera bag slung over my shoulder. Yup, I made it to the top! The photograph was made with my Kodak Brownie Hawkeye by my childhood friend Danny McKernan who made the climb with me. (We took the elevator down.)

However old I may be, I like to think that I’m learning something new about photography and try to make, at least, one new picture every day. .

Learning something new about photography every day is not as much of a problem because our wonderful profession and avocation of photography is constantly changing, as I see it, to let us have more fun with photography. And that’s my birthday wish for you— to Have fun with your photography!


You can help me celebrate my birthday by treating me to to a cup of Earl Grey tea ($3.50) just click here.