August 18, 2009
Many of you know Houck Medford the Philanthropist but are you familiar with Houck Medford the Photographer? This biography details Dr. Medford’s adventure with photography and how it has influenced his work as Executive Director of the Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation. Written by Greg A. Kiser with Four Forty Six Photography.
A short while ago, I went on a Trek to the Blue Ridge Parkway and spent a little bit of time on the trails of the Rough Ridge. While I was there, I had the opportunity to meet none other than the founder and executive director of the Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation, Dr. Houck Medford. While we were talking, our conversation quickly turned to photography and I realized that he was a fairly serious shooter in his own right.
Dr. Medford grew up in the mountains of Western North Carolina which for those unfamiliar is some of the most unspoiled landscape to be found in the state. By the time he graduated from Tuscola High School in Waynesville, NC, Dr. Medford and his Dad had hiked all of the trails in the Great Smokey Mountains National Park. Of course, this wasn't actually their goal at the time, it was just a natural thing to do. When he looks back at his childhood he recalls always being outside. The beauty of the North Carolina Mountains is infectious and will send anyone's creative side into overload.
However, it was not the natural beauty of the landscape that prompted Dr. Medford to become interested in photography. In a word it was "birds" that sparked his interest at the early age of seven. While in the Boy Scouts Dr. Medford decided to pursue a merit badge in birding. His mentor for this project was an elderly lady "who really opened my eyes to what was around [him]." Dr. Medford showed some good old fashioned ingenuity when he constructed his first and only photo blind. He used an old refrigerator box which was positioned about two feet from the bird feeder which he had made and filled with bird seed. To capture the feeding birds he used his Dad's 35mm Argus C3 camera.
It was not so much the excitement of capturing the photograph as it was the anticipation of getting the pictures back. Remember, this was long before digital and the process was much longer to see what final product. The film was sent off in a mailer to a Kodak processing lab which was located in Atlanta, Georgia, which was the closest lab. Dr. Medford's memory is very clear when he recalls waiting for the slides to return..."Boy, the anticipation of getting those pictures back." This was not the only thing that he remembers with great detail; he adds "I remember also how hot it was inside the refrigerator box!" Its funny the things that we can recall many years later.
It was in 1970 that Dr. Medford purchased his first "real camera". This was the summer before he went to Glacier National Park where he worked as a seasonal employee. This was his first trip to the Rockies and it was recorded with the aid of a Minolta 101 — which he recalls taking great pictures. From the photos that he captured with his Minolta he made some prints which he gave to friends as gifts. This was the moment where he found his joy in photography — "simply to print and give my images to others. It is still my joy."
With his involvement with the Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation it is no surprise that the Parkway is one of Dr. Medford's prime interests to capture with a camera. However, it is not just the Parkway that he is interested in. There are many pictures from this area of the State, but not that many which show the people which enjoy the Parkway.
It was in 1997 that the Foundation was established and Dr. Medford began looking through the photo archives. He felt that the story of the Blue Ridge Parkway could not be told completely without including the people that perpetuated its growth. "The scenes and natural elements don't change, but the people do." With this thought in mind Dr. Medford's favorite subject is the people pursuing their personal journeys along the Parkway. He shoots almost exclusively in black and white. His intent is to capture images in a photo journalistic manner with a photo documentary intent.
The landscapes that he captures are done to support the activities that the Foundation is involved in. Dr. Medford also realizes that people identify with their favorite areas of the Parkway like Rough Ridge which is where we met. The Foundation also has a campaign to make some modest improvements there as well.
Dr. Medford wishes to be in total control of his images from exposure to the final printing. No longer does he wait anxiously for his developed slides to come back from Kodak, he is a digital shooter now and handles his own processing. Because of this, he has taken part in many Photoshop seminars in order to make the learning curve a bit flatter. He even spent a week at the Cone Edition Press where he was exposed to the full gamut of the digital process from color management to archival printing. Dr. Medford is looking forward to his next course which will be in the spring with John Capinigro.
As I mentioned, things have changed from the days of the Minolta for Dr. Medford. His switch to digital came in the form of a Nikon D100 followed by his current D200 which is mated to all the typical lenses for his type of work. This will be changing very soon though as he has a D300s on order. Don't let all this talk about Photoshop and camera upgrades fool you, Dr. Medford is not about the latest and greatest technology out there. He makes very thoughtful decisions when it comes to the tools of his craft. The new D300s was ordered because for the first time he will have the capability to shoot HD video. This is not a gimmick for him because there is an occasional need for video footage for the Foundation work. However, Dr. Medford shares that he "still has time to change [his] mind."
So, where can we find more examples of Dr. Medford's work? Well, the easiest place to view them is through the Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation Gallery. This gallery, while attached to the Foundation's website is representative of Dr. Medford's personal collection of photographs. You can also find a more extensive collection of images in his Flickr gallery. In this gallery you will find all sorts of images, most of which aren't seen in the other gallery. Both of these galleries are worth visiting and spending some time in...especially if you enjoy seeing life in the Blue Ridge Mountains.
As we have seen, the Blue Ridge Parkway has been a huge influence in Dr. Medford's development as a photographer. This isn't all that has fed into his love for photography though. The work of Ansel Adams (a recurring favorite in this feature) has had a huge influence on Dr. Medford's work. It is not so much his photographs as the process that really caught the attention of Dr. Medford. It was the fact that Adams developed the zone system for producing black and white photography which was something that made sense to Dr. Medford. He could comprehend that approach to creating pictures and that allowed him to consciously think about it in his entire process. In addition to Adams, Dr. Medford also mentions Bill Lea who taught him to "follow the light". Dr. Medford would like to take this opportunity to thank him for that inspiration.
Dr. Medford is a very down to earth kind of guy, and I can say that with some authority having had the opportunity to actually meet him. His goals as a photographer illustrate this quite well. He simply wants to have fun, and to meet new people. He enjoys sharing a common journey with other photographers that shoot on and around the Parkway.
Speaking of the photographic journey, Dr. Medford shares a few words of wisdom. "Do what makes you happy...don't worry about what anybody else thinks...photography is for sure a journey." It has surely been a journey for Dr. Medford since the early days of sitting in that hot refrigerator box at age seven. Something else that he has learned from his years behind the camera is that the various clubs and photography guilds are a great source of inspiration as well as mentorship. He recommends that you "go sit quietly and learn."
For Dr. Medford, photography is all about having fun and enjoying the journey. He has not participated in any contests or sought any awards for his works. He is "motivated by a greater sense of pleasure seeking — sharing with others." For those that would like to have a bit of fun with their cameras you might want to consider attending the Full Moon Photography on the Blue Ridge Parkway Clinic which is coming up in October. This is a combined effort between the Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation and Discovery Place in Charlotte. Kevin Adams will be leading this clinic and it should be a great time.
I would like to thank Houck for taking part in this feature. I was able to accomplish several things all at once with this article. Of course, I was able to feature a very talented photographer, but I was also able to talk about the Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation which has been an organization I have followed for some time now. Plus, I never get tired of sharing images from along the Parkway. My own development as a photographer has a lot of roots along that 469 mile stretch of road.
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