Todd Walker: First Friday Photos

Its time for First Friday Photos! Again, the first Friday of every month, I'll be posting several images I shot from the previous month. Today, though, none of these images are from last month. They are from my 35mm, fully automatic film days.

The shot above is a milestone in my journey. Traveling abroad, I shot a ton of frames. But this one changed my life.

I was in Burkina Faso, Africa. We were there for 5 weeks. The temperature got down to 100 degrees at night, and a blistering 125+ during the day. The conditions were miserable, especially for me who is naturally well insulated. The three boys you see above became friends of mine. I lived with their village for weeks. We didn't speak the same language. But we laughed together, played together, enjoyed life together. The experience I had with these boys and their village was incredible.

After I returned stateside, I had the film developed. Flipping through the photos of the trip, one image made time stand still. This single frame, the one of the boys I grew so close to, stopped me in my tracks. It wasn't merely an image of some kids in another county. It was an image that spoke to so much more than just three faces looking at the camera. It had depth. It had meaning. And it was at that moment I began to think photography was profound. This single image altered my world. It was the beginning of my real photographic journey. It is the image that started my career. Since then, this is the image that has haunted me the most. It keeps speaking to something deep within me that screams "This is your thing. This makes you Alive."

So, today's post is a very small sample of my early work. All 7 images are from 35mm film. All were shot with zero understanding of equipment. All hold a significant place in my heart. I wish I had more to share, but I've only converted a few into digital files. At some point I hope to scan more of them to share. But for now, they're in albums over there on my bookshelf, collecting dust. Here are a few more. Have a great weekend everyone!