On the A train, on my way to my meditation class in New Rochelle I ran into Adger Cowans; an African American photography pioneer and legend. I learned about Adger Cowans in graduate school after I was introduced to the work of Roy DeCarava by my photography professor Gene Crediford. When researching the upper echelon of black photographers those 2 names would come up again and again. So when I got back to NY; I sought both of them out to show them my work. Roy DeCarava I found out was teaching at Hunter College so I arranged to meet him during his office hours. He told me then that I had real talent but that my prints had too much contrast. Adger, I met while volunteering one summer at the Black Film maker Foundation with Warrington Hudlin. He was a trip then and is a trip now; a strikingly handsome man that must have been a huge player in his day. He must be in his seventies now and yet he has the spirit and youthful ness of someone my age. For that short period on the train we talked about spirituality, cinematography and Barack Obama. Seeing him was a real treat and certainly made my day. He gave me his email and I will certainly keep in touch. The only thing that I regret was that I forgot that I had my little digital camera in my pocket as I was so engrossed in the conversation, so I forgot to snap his picture for this blog entry. All I could find online is this low-res deal that doesn't represent him well and a picture of his eyes.
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