I learned about photography helping my father splice 8mm broken film of our home movies taken with his Bell and Howe camera. Later, when I was a parent, I would document my sons’ exploits on the lacrosse field with my Cannon. I rediscovered the movie camera when I was at Westlake Middle School and myself and our science teacher, Steve Pesick, would take students to Key Largo to count fish. We documented our coral reef research with a rented underwater camera from Steven Frink. I graduated to my own underwater camera equipment, but I chose still pictures over movies. While on scuba expeditions, I found myself on dry land taking photos of nature and wild creatures. I especially enjoyed photographing in the Everglades.
Now I am back to taking photos of my granddaughter, Chloe, playing lacrosse.
I got interested in History when I edited my Grandfather’s book, The Autobiography of an 1898 Dropout. Juan Mario Bellido de Luna had written his life’s story when he was in his eighties which he wrote in old man’s script in three notebooks. It took a very long time to translate it and put it on the computer. I did learn about life in NYC during the beginning of the 19th century. I also learned that my Great Grandfather, Narciso B. de Luna, was assassinated by Spanish agents as he was leading a company of expatriate Cubans to fight in the Spanish American war. I also learned that before him, my Great-Great-Grandfather, Fernando B. de Luna, was a “Cuba Libre” who was captured by the Spanish for his anti-government activities. He was thrown into the Morro castle in Havana and latter escaped when his friends smuggled him out in a hogshead barrel and put him on a ship to New York.
Later in the autobiography I learned that a distant relative, Tristan de Luna, was in charge of a failed Spanish expedition to colonize Pensacola in 1559.
It is from this editing experience that I learned that stories need to be preserved and published for future generations. So, I am now applying my skills as a photographer together with my interested in history. I am publishing a newsletter On the Road to History and I have written a manuscript Silent No Longer: The Central Park Statues Speak to share almost forgotten stories of the past with my readers.
