DA505 main
26/7/05
7:03 pm
Page 35
Drum: PHOTOGENIC 35
And it was only by fluke coincidence that I walked into this shop
with some friends at lunchtime,
when I was at college studying
electronics, and discovered this
new tool. But it transcended my
whole world from that moment.
I would have been about sixteen
at the time because that’s when I
was trying to be pragmatic. You
know, “You got to have a trade;
get a job; get a life. You got to
pay your way in life.” But all my
money went on equipment.
When other guys got girls, I got
equipment. Still got a few of the
girls, but it was all about money
for cameras, and trying to work
out the next process. Thing is
back then, you’d get minimal
people who would support you
or even share your ideals. I didn’t
know there was a club or a circle
in those days, so I’d go into
institutions naively, and people
are people in my eyes. But you
would realize after a while that
throughout this process you
were being kept in a certain
space, which didn’t actually let
you into the arena, but tolerated
you because you’re spending
money. When I got wise to that
script was the moment I realised
that I had something unique to
offer. »
“ I had allowed myself to be deceived. How
could I have let myself be misled? From this
point on it would be just me versus myself.”
Sir Benni Rise, Benni Miles, Grenada