Flashback Friday #21 - Sweetheart Roller Skating Rink: Bill Yates

Hello Blog People! I've been gone a long time. Sorry for the absence and thank you for returning with me in the new year! Let's make 2014 a great year. Instead of dwelling on how long it's been since I posted, let's jump right back in. It's Friday so that means Flashback time and I got a big one for you this week. Last year I was very fortunate to meet Bill Yates, a local photographer here in Jacksonville, FL. We quickly discovered that we have a similar photographic eye and started to work on several projects together. One of them being Bill's Sweetheart Roller Rink Photo Series. This is a series that Bill shot when he was about my age from the fall of 1972 through the spring of '73 in rural, southern Hillsborough County (Tampa, FL). The negatives have been in binders for the past 40 years and only a handful of people had ever seen them. But now, over the last few months, Bill and I have gone through all 800 negatives, scanned them, and have started to edit them. During this time Bill entered a portfolio of 10 images into PhotoLucida Critical Mass 2013 contest. As we continued to edit the series and work on other projects we kept getting positive feedback regarding Bill's portfolio and the images were eventually chosen for the Critical Mass "Top 50"! All of the winners will be included in a traveling exhibition curated by George Eastman House Assistant Curator of Photographs, Jessica Johnson and will be on display in March at the Corden | Potts Gallery, San Francisco as well as the Houston Center of Photography in May. It just goes to show the true power of a strong image that even after 40 years this series is getting lots of attention. Still don't believe me? Then listen to the man himself talk about his work. Click the link and watch the short video made by Bill's good friend Clif Brewer. And be sure to check out Bill's other work here! Until next time.....Keep it REAL!