I was flipping through the latest issue of Texas Monthly, when suddenly I found an article titled "The illustionist" with this beautiful 2 page spread photograph. I quickly buried my nose beneath my beloved TM and let the dreamy dark images soak in. Carter is a self-taught Beaumont Texan who learned the magic of photography from watching his mother stand under the safelight glow of their kitchen sink. "He steps over beside her then raises himself on tiptoes to watch in wide-eyed wonder as one of her photographic images slowly comes up in the developer." {Bill Wittliff, "The Illustionist" Texas Monthly 9.2008} I can't help but remember my first experience in the dark room, the tiny room resided behind my mom's desk at my even tinier school in Maxwell, Nebraska. The enrollment in 2005 for K-12 was 146. Population: 315 (15 more than when I attended school there in 1995.) Your heart beats with anticipation as the image appears like a magic trick. Just add water. Or so it seemed.
Anyway...I'm blown away by his work. I'm actually proud of him. Way to bring the element of mystery into photography. Carter's work reminds me of another one of my absolute favorites, Robert and Shana Parkeharrison. However, I will save them for another day.
