BRUCE DAVIDSON

WHEN did you begin taking photographs?

I started photography at the age of 10. Later, when I was 14 or 15 and I had a good camera, I could go off by myself on little explorations until dark. There was a flea market in Chicago that was very exotic to me. That was really heaven and I had a good time photographing it. I also had a job at a local camera store, where I dusted off cameras which I drooled over and wanted to have one day.

How did you develop your photographic knowledge?

I was very fortunate because there was a commercial photographer named Mr Cox, who came into the store where I worked, and he took me under his wing.

I would hang out at his studio and watch him make dye transfer prints, or go with him on a photo shoot for the local paper. If my mother needed to reach me, I would invariably be with Mr. Cox. He