http://www.atwitsend.org/ View Artist Video

Bob Witkowski

I graduated Yale in 1970 with a degree in History.

I was headed to Law School when I picked up a camera to help a friend shoot the May Day Riots in New Haven.

It was the first endeavor that made sense to me…it connected my head/intellect with my heart. From that moment on I pursued photography as both an art and a means to make a living.

I taught History in two Prep Schools where I immediately took over the camera clubs to teach myself the technical end of photography; I spent a year at the University of Missouri School of Journalism; I was later blessed with a great technical and metaphysical mentor in large format, Phil Zimmerman; and then I opened my studio in Washington, DC where I began my commercial life.

I had no published work. I knew I wanted to do heavy industrial photography and workers for corporations, so I talked my way into the Gulf Oil Refinery in Philadelphia with help from Bob Goralski at the American Petroleum Institute.

I spent 7 days and nights in theme park heaven. I know that’s not politically correct these days, but it was over 30 years ago. I spent my subsequent days cold calling agencies, corporations, etc and dragging around a projector and a one carousel with 80 slides trying to get work.

People were willing to take a chance and eventually (over 5 years) I built up a successful business and solid client list. In this field of corporate photography I worked with good men…Bill Harwood at Martin Marietta, Chuck Beeson at A&M records to name just 2 who were very special to me over the years. And there were others.

I’ve been fortunate. I don’t do as much commercial work anymore Times have changed. But I have continued to shoot and pursue my personal work…work that I’ve done for over 30 years.

I’ve had great support from Leica over the years and though I’ve not been in the darkroom in a while, I continue to shoot with film. I just scan it and work in Photoshop. I confess I don’t miss the stench of chemicals anymore, but my wrists hurt!

In the end, I refuse to offer any insight into my art..no photo flatulence. Rather, I prefer to quote my English teacher Tom Chaffee from Berkshire School, who often quoted DH Lawrence…

“Never trust the teller…trust the Tale.”