Originally uploaded by MikeOliveri.
Decades of alcohol abuse killed someone in my family, and that was more or less where the inspiration for this photo came from. I made it a self portrait for the 52 Weeks group on Flickr because it’s not hard to spot the pattern of addiction in my family. Based on some of my own behaviors I wouldn’t be surprised if the genetic predisposition runs strong in my DNA.
I didn’t intend this to be preachy or heavy-handed, I just thought it would be a cool pic to try. I made a black-and-white version of it, too, which can be seen here. I’ve got a few nits with it, but in general I’m pretty happy with it.
I’m still going back and forth on whether or not I want to attempt another run of 52 Weeks photos. I’m hoping to pick up a DSLR camera by Spring, and it occurs to me that may be a reason to try again. Not just because I’ll be excited about the new camera (which will make me want to use it more often) but because I can find out if a DSLR really can make a difference in the quality of my photography (the theory here is the broader capabilities enhance creativity). It would be a fun experiment to compare my first 52 Weeks with my second.
I’ve got seven more pics for my first round, so I’ve got plenty of time to make a decision. In the meantime, I’m hoping Canon really does announce a successor to the Digital Rebel XTi later this month. Buying a current model might be cheaper, but if predictions are accurate, LiveView would be easier for the Wife to use and a movie feature might be handy at times.
About Mike Oliveri
Mike Oliveri is a writer, martial artist, cigar aficionado, motorcyclist, and family man, but not necessarily in that order. He is currently hard at work on the werewolf noir series The Pack for Evileye Books.
