Jul

31

Art Shay: Through the Lens and On the Page: The Autobiography of an American Eye
by Art Shay with Bo ‘Grandpa AI’ and ChatGPT

Chapter 1: The Negative That Developed Me

I was born in the Bronx in 1922, the son of Jewish immigrants who wanted me to become a doctor, or a lawyer—anything but a guy with a camera in his hand and his head in the clouds. But it was the darkroom, not the courtroom, that called me. I can still smell the developer and fixer the first time I saw a photo appear like a ghost in the chemical tray. It felt like conjuring, like magic. Hell, maybe it was.

I didn’t start out with a Leica in my pocket. I started out with nothing. Nothing but a war, a nose for stories, and a restless need to see. After flying fifty-something bomber missions in WWII, you get used to looking down at the world. But it was only when I got back on foot, on the streets, that I really started seeing it.

Download the full bio (.docx file).


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