JULY 2008 FEATURED PHOTOGRAPHER RICHARD BABCOCK I started photographing when I was 12 years old. I used my father's Polaroid, saving my allowance for film. When I was 15 I earned enough on a summer job to buy a Nikon camera. I photographed a lot for my high school newspaper and annual. After high school I was in and out of college due to mental illness and finally came to the conclusion that pursuing an art degree, even though it doesn't prepare you for a high paying job, was better than no degree. So I got a BFA in Art Photography. I'm glad I did because art has been very therapeutic for me and today I'm pretty much stable with the mental illness. I really like sharing my photos with my friends and photography is just plain fun. DR: What's your name? RB: Richard Babcock DR: How did you get into photography? RB: Actually I got my father's Polaroid he used as a Real Estate broker to photograph homes because he passed away. My mother said I could have it. DR: What's your most favorite picture? RB: The last one someone said they liked. DR: Where do you find inspiration for your photos? RB: It started with looking at great photographers' work. Now it comes from interacting with other photographers I know and finally from the gritty industrial cities to the awesome beauty of nature. DR: What do you like about the Darkroom? RB: Volunteering and helping beginning photographers learn their way around developing film and printing. DR: How do you see yourself growing within the area of photography? RB: I generally approach it as an art and want to expand my ability to take better photos than before. DR: Any shout-outs? RB: Yeah the other weekend I went to Abe Menor's workshop on Street Photography. We were mixing it up pretty good. Abe was great at showing me how to approach people on the street.