Village Squire, 1981-04, Page 7A moment in time
Instead Carroll carries a camera like
most carry a wallet - everywhere - though
ten years ago they were not constant
companions. Then. Carroll and cameras
may have been mild acquaintances. but
they really hadn't been formally intro-
duced. "Ten years ago, if someone had
told me this is what I'd be doing, 1
wouldn't have believed them." Then a
friend, Rudy Krause from near
Kitchener, brought the pair together.
"He sat and explained to me how a
camera works. I went out and bought
one.l'
And even then. while the discovery was
still in its youth. he could not have
realized the extent to which it has become
part of his life today. There is., of course.
the personal interest. the artistic bent.
(much of his work is on display at All
Thumbs Artists' Co-op in Exeter, of
which he is a member and treasurer). But
it is also- and he admits he is fortunate in
this- his job as staff photographer of
Agribook publishers, also in Exeter.
He joined the one -year-old co-operative
as much to answer his own curiosity as to
gain wider exposure for his photography.
"1 got in to find out if what I was doing
myself was pleasing to other people. to
see if they would be willing to pay for it.
When 1 went into it (All Thumbs) 1 was
prepared to take what came.
"I would say I've been successful. 1
haven't made any money because I keep
upgrading my equipment. I've sold in the
neighbourhood of 20 prints. I've even
learned a little about bookkeeping." he
adds with a laugh . "although our
accountant might disagree."
Carroll's photographic growth has
developed through studying as much
work of Other photographers as possible
and by never permitting himself the
luxury of shooting the perfect photo-
graph.
"With a lot of magazines I don't read
them as much as look at them. Most ideas
come from seeing other photographs and
figuring out how they were done."
explains Carroll while leafing through an
advertising photographic source hook. A
page catches his eye. "Look at this.
Would you hire this guy? 1 wouldn't.I
really don't like the gimmicky types.
Sometimes they work well, and have their
place. but there are risks in making it
work. Some people call it canned
photography. It really has no relevance.
"But you've got to look at other
photographers if you want to improve and
you've got to keep looking and trying to
assess your own work. which isn't easy.
You have to have the desire to improve.
The problem is in becoming complacent.
because as soon as you take the ultimate
photograph. where do you go from there?
It seems to be an intangible thing."
Intangible. The word may be a key to
what is art. and in a sense Carroll's
acknowledgement of that indefinable
quality must qualify him as artist,
seaching for the moment. ❑
VILLAGE SQUIRE/APRIL 1981 PG. 5