Author: John Parkinson

ISBN: 978-1-933538-37-2

Today, Norm Goldman, Editor of Bookpleasures.com is pleased to have as our guest nationally published photographer, John Parkinson, author of  Visual Verse: Art in Nature With Symbiotic Verse. John is an award- winning landscape photographer.

Good day John and thank you for participating in our interview.

Norm:

When did your passion for photography begin? What keeps you going?

John: 

When I was about 12 years old, a neighborhood friend and I crafted a home made light box from crude materials and used it to make contact prints from film exposed in my mother’s folding bellows camera.  Then, going into a dark closet with illumination only from a red light and watching an image appear on the photo paper immersed in developer was magical.  The thing that kept me going with photography was that same magical feeling that I experienced in being able to capture my own moments of time, especially in nature, where everything seemed captivating and spellbinding and I could commit those images to paper in the darkroom.

Norm:

What do you believe are the essential elements in effectively photographing natural landscapes?

John:

A love for nature and its Creator, an appreciation for the “art” that is found in nature, and a desire to share something that is uplifting and edifying with others are all just as important, if not more so, than technical expertise in photography. 

Norm:

Why did you feel compelled to produce Visual Verse: Art in Nature With Symbiotic Verse?

John:

The first pairing of image and verse in “Visual Verse” is entitled “A Gift.”  While the image may not be deemed particularly outstanding by others, it became the impetus for my book.  When I was making this image I was struck with the thought of how often it is that the nature landscape leads our eyes and thoughts upward.  While I was still contemplating the image through my viewfinder, the words of the poem that accompanies this image came to me so I jotted it down on a piece of paper.  Later, I made a poster of the image with the verse and hung it on my office wall.  After a while, I got the notion that I could do the same thing with other images and verse.  I had a large inventory of images to work from and I had long been interested in poetry.  At one time, I was able to recite from memory for more than two hours some of my favorite poems.  So, I started pairing some favorite poetry with my images and “Visual Verse” is the result.

Norm:

How did you go about choosing which photos to include in your book and which poems to pair with them?

John:

Sometimes, the pairing started with a familiar poem because my known repertoire of poetry was not as large as my image files and it was easier to find an image to put with the poetry.  In other cases I wanted to use a particular image in “Visual Verse” so I set about finding or creating an appropriate poem.  It helped a great deal that I had an outdoor hot tub to sit in every morning (sometimes while the stars were still out) where I could just relax and think. 

Norm:

Why do you feel that this was an important book for you to write and for all of us to read at this time?

John:

The national media foists so much bad news on us almost constantly that I think it affects our psyche in a negative way.  Contrary to what some of the media portrays, I believe that the world is really a beautiful place.  I regard “Visual Verse” as something of a counter-point to that negativity because it lifts and edifies us rather than discourages or dispirits us.  I hope that reading the uplifting poetry while contemplating our beautiful world will enhance our psyche in a positive way.

Norm:

What challenges or obstacles did you encounter while putting together your book? How did you overcome these challenges?

John:

Finding the right publisher who shared my goals for the book was very important.  I researched quite a few publishers before selecting my publisher but think I was successful in that respect.  It was a challenge to find a book designer who appreciated my own input into design concepts and was willing to incorporate them into the final design.  Some designers may have felt it a threat to their own ego to give in to my ideas but this one did not have a problem with me or me with him.

Norm:

How long did it take you to put together your book and how did you celebrate its completion?

John:

The photography in the book has been more than 30 years in the making.  Producing “Visual Verse” from that photography and the coupling of symbiotic poetry took about a year or so and another year to produce the book and get it to market.  At this point, I am satisfied with the book and am gratified but will probably postpone a “celebration” until my sales goal is met.

Norm:

If you were to choose three of your favorite landscape scenes, which ones would they be and why?

John:

I have been asked this question many times but it is very difficult to answer.  Creating an image is such a subjective thing because I am emotionally involved in the process and that emotion colors my judgment of quality.  Clients have often chosen one of my images that I didn’t think was publishable while some of my “favorite” images have been passed over.  If I were pressed I might offer some of my nighttime images of the stars because they are somewhat unique and reflect my interest in astronomy.  They also required quite a bit of planning.  I also am pleased with images like “North Six-shooter Peak” where luck trumped planning or “Dead Horse Dawn” (the cover image of “Visual Verse”) where the world seemed filled with magical light.

Norm:

Will there be any unique ways you'll be marketing your book that is different from how others authors market their books of the same genre?

John:

I have produced a PowerPoint presentation that can be projected to a large screen.  It tells of the making of “Visual Verse” and includes a slide show (with music) of some of the images.  I offer this to civic clubs, social clubs, women’s groups, etc., as a program item with no overt sales effort but it creates a demand for the book.

Norm:

What do you consider your first "break" as a photographer?

John:

Photographing my own daughter’s wedding which created a demand from others who saw her albums.  Everything after that just evolved into a full time career in photography.

Norm:

What advice would you give to someone who is considering going into photography as a profession?

John 

I would advise anyone to follow their instincts with passion but not to expect quick full-time compensation.  Do it for love and regard any monetary gain as just icing on the cake.  Ignore most of the hype about the best photographic equipment and trust your eye because that is where the photograph is made.  Inexpensive equipment can produce great art if the eye, heart and mind can capture it.  Be prepared for lean years, especially in landscape photography where competition is fierce.  Do it and love it!

Norm:

What does a typical writing day look like for you, from waking to turning in at night, and how does it compare to a conventional 9 to 5 job?

John:

I am mostly retired now but during the years that my family depended on me to provide for them I was self-employed and enjoyed the freedom to set my own hours and pace.  It also meant that while I couldn’t pass the buck for any failure, I could enjoy full credit for any success.  That independence, however, required a great deal of discipline which, sometimes, was in short supply, but, on balance, adequate.  The creative part writing for me is highly dependant on external influences such as mood, or inspiration gleaned from spending time in the heart of nature.

Norm:

When you are no longer with us, how do you want us to remember John Parkinson?

John:

As a good husband, father and grandfather who liked to make photographs.

Norm:

Is there anything else you wish to add that we have not covered?

John:

You’ve already covered most of the good stuff and I’m not going to reveal the bad.

Thanks once again and good luck with all of your future endeavors.

 The above interview was conducted by:   NORM GOLDMAN:  Editor of Bookpleasures. Here are more of  Norm Goldman's Reviews       To read Norm's Review of   Visual Verse: Art in Nature With Symbiotic Verse CLICK HERE

To read more about John  CLICK HERE

North America Vacations - Order FREE Brochure!