began the day I saw 
photographs taken 
by one of my 
high school 
classmates.

Though captivated by these photographs, 
I considered camera and film a far too 
complex combination for me to conquer.
Yet, this exposure made me aware
of photographs as a creative expression
rather than just a way to document
journalistic and family events.

In 1962, while studying to become a 
commercial artist at The Corcoran
School  of Art, I purchased a Yashika
Lynx, a  decent, range-finder, fixed-lens,
35mm camera. Although there were no 
photography courses offered at The 
Corcoran back then, the study of 
lighting and composition in my 
commercial art course applied to 
photography as well.

So, I began to take black and white 
photographs, learning to apply the creative 
skills learned in art school. I was limited to 
drugstore processing which meant I not only 
depended on the quality of their work, but 
also was prevented from cropping and 
manipulating my prints.

A few years later, after moving from an 
apartment into a house, I set up a black and 
white darkroom. There, I could develop and 
print my own images, a time-consuming, 
but rewarding process.

Somewhere along the way my camera and 
my darkroom became idle. This period lasted 
far too many years.

In the spring of 1997, as fate would have it,
a long-time buddy called me. I had not seen
 him for perhaps  a decade. He invited me
to join him for a  ride in his hemi-V8 powered,
air conditioned, 1940 Willys street rod to go
to a major street  rod show about 100 miles 
away. This was  an offer I could not refuse.

To shake off the dust, I took my Nikon to 
the car show. I was amazed at the quality 
of the cars in the show and with the results 
of my photographic effort. What’s more, 
during those interim years when my camera 
was idle, I had become a proficient user of 
Photoshop, a primary computer software 
program used by both the graphic design 
and photography professions.

With my photographic spirits at an all-time 
high, I continued to attend various car shows,
always with  camera gear in tow.

View Tom’s automobile photography

But I realized I was fast becoming labeled  
“Tom Blankenship, car photographer” 
while my range of photographic interests
was far more broad, reflected by the
variety of images on display here at
my website.

As of February 1, 2004 my Nikon film
camera is retired, replaced with a Canon
digital camera system.

I welcome your comments, suggestions and questions.

PHONE
301-793-8500
(24-hr voice mail)

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Copyright © 2012 by Tom Blankenship.
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
All photographs appearing in this web site are the property of Tom Blankenship and are protected under United States and international copyright laws. No part of this web site may be reproduced in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying and recording by an information storage and retrieval system without the written permission of Tom Blankenship.