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Photography Then and Now
You good for nothing kids should know that the world was very different in the 80’s.
First off, we didn’t spend the day looking at screens and taking pictures. Pictures were for special occasions. All of my family photos involve birthday cakes and Christmas trees, first days of school, graduations. People dressed up for pictures. And you had to make a real commitment to capture the moment. You needed a real camera that weighed something, the right speed film, multiple batteries, and then you had to go back and forth to the pharmacy to drop off film and pick up prints. By the time the pictures are handled over to you, at least five people already saw them and are judging you accordingly.
You didn’t use a phone to edit those photos. You did it manually, in the car – True by Spandau Ballet playing on the radio as you leafed through thirty six or twenty four three by five inch prints, ripping up any double-chins, separating out anything incriminating. That’s if you were lucky enough to have any images at all. Sometimes you exposed the film, you jackknob, and now you’re in the car looking at 36 glossies of absolute nothingness. That’s the original black mirror. Maybe this time Holding Back the Years is playing on the radio.
Today you just cough and Siri films what’s in front of it, saves it to the cloud, and massages your prostate. You have photos of every moment conceivable. At some point there will be more recorded history than actual history.
Video required even more commitment back in the day. At the very least you needed a tape recorder and cassettes. Again, batteries – and a place within three feet to plug in. You had to label and mark that tape if you ever wanted to know what was on it again. My brother would record over my cassette and video tapes regardless of what I put on the label. I could write “Baby’s First Steps” on it and my brother would tape right over it with four hours of Sopranos and a smattering of Cinemax softcore.
With some exceptions, much of what exists today existed in the 80s, we just didn’t feel the need to take pictures of it all. We could go months without even being near a camera. You’d only see pictures of cats in the bargain aisle of the book store.
Anyway, I have no real ending for this bit. I’ll keep working on it. : )
Almost every year for the past 6 years and on the same day, I’ve posted the same pic of me in the hospital during my temporary and untimely demise in 2015. A few weeks after I was back to “normal”, I asked Eric “Why’d you take the pics?” And he said, “I knew you would want to write about it if you lived.” Eric was right. Eric was often right and Eric always had my best interest at heart. I am going to miss my friend.
You ever meet someone and become friends immediately?! Well this was not the case with Eric. Before he was my manager at Morgan Stanley, I would often see this 6’4″, giant white guy walk up to the only black woman at work, say something then walk away without any hint of human emotion. Naturally I thought he was a jerk until I asked her “Yo, is that dude bothering you?” She laughed and proceeded to tell me he was a great person, which I ultimately got to experience first hand. Little did I know this Italian from Staten Island was more Brooklyn than most Brooklynites.
Eric was not with the shits!! If there were ever someone who lived their life in direct, honest and no uncertain terms, that would be Eric. He would ask me questions at work like “Why are the other consultants making more money than you?” I knew the answer to that question and so did he. Eric then proceeded to increase my salary by 15K. After arguing with all our managers that “You need to hire Alfred!”, they eventually did 1 year prior to the 2015 incident. In the hospital, one of my friends asked me, “What if you didn’t have health insurance when this happened?” I would be in debt for the rest of my life is the obvious answer. I still am in debt for the rest of my life but at least, it is to those who made sure I had a more enjoyable life and for that, I will gladly repay.
My mom loved to tell me the story of how she met Eric. After they told her I was going to be in the ICU for some time, she told the doctor “Well I’m not going anywhere.” She then hears a voice from that back of the room that says “Well I’m not going anywhere either!” That was Eric and in true form, he was at that hospital every single day until I was discharged.
Eric passed away in December 2021 of stage 4 cancer. After feeling faint on his way to my bbq, he went to get checked out and was diagnosed. During the past 5 years, Eric lost his mom, twin brother and dad. I can’t even begin to imagine what that must have felt like but I’m glad that pain he was feeling is no more.
From being my manager to my business partner, writer, book editor, artistic director, and most importantly, my friend, I am going to miss you MC Krispy E a.k.a “Enrique Pollazo!” And although you told me Enrique means Henry in Spanish and not Eric, it was too late!
Sidebar. The day I was discharged, while everyone was deciding what was best for me, no one had remembered that I would need clothes in order to leave the hospital. Eric shows up (unasked) with all the clothes I had on the day I coded, laundered and ready to go. I don’t know what I’ve done to deserve friends like this but i need to keep doing it! Sidebar complete.
Rest in Peace Eric. “Be Good.”
I had the distinct pleasure of participating in a panel discussion on writing your first book, presented by the Harlem chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Inc. Alongside Jim St. Germain, Author – A Stone of Hope: A Memoir and Dr. Keneshia Nicole Grant, Author – The Great Migration and the Democratic Party: Black Voters and the Realignment of American Politics in the 20th Century. We opined on pain points, benefits and strategies regarding our inaugural voyages into authorship. Feel free to watch for your self and I hope this provides some insight to all those looking to make the same voyage. Enjoy!
