Ode to Neal Fox

This is Miss Peterson's fifth grade class at Knox. It was taken in 1955. Neal Fox took the picture. When I printed it, my sweet Thomas said, "How come you have that smirk on your face and no one else does?" I told him it was probably because I knew the photographer. He didn't buy that, he was certain I was up to something.

Today's post is dedicated to the man who introduced me to photo chemicals. When I read his obituary, I couldn't believe he was 85 and deceased; he was timeless and immortal to me.

I went to the Pennington County Historical Society website to see if I could find a picture of him, after all, he took pictures of everything else, why not himself? The only thing I found was him in a group of Shriner's. He was part of an Oriental Band.

An arrangement was made between our Girl Scout leader and Neal Fox for our group to go to his studio and and process negatives. Enlarge!!! Print!!! Smell those chemicals! That experience set me up for life. Perhaps only Mr. Fox and myself understand how exciting it was to see an image appear on photo paper. I was in the right place at the right time with the right person to encourage me to make photography a lifetime sport.

At about the same time, I was in a style show. Imagine me in a hat and dress gloves. Neal Fox took the picture, it became an oil painted photograph. It cost $65.00 in 1956. Mother had the picture hanging in her bedroom. It is now in the craft room here at the house.

When my daughter was taking photography in junior high, we bought her a used enlarger and photo pans and blocked off the light in the bathroom. It became the dark room. Rachel processed her own negatives and printed her own pictures and smelled her own chemicals. Later, Ryen, the youngest, would process pictures at home. He had photography last hour and by then, the chemicals were poor, he got much better prints at home.

Neal Fox took confirmation pictures, portraits for graduation, and weddings for many of us over the years. His studio was in the basement of the Elk's building at the corner of Third and LaBree. To ascend the steps and open the door meant instant aroma of chemicals. It became a perfume.

Neal Fox made a difference. I like to think it is one of the people that affected me in such a good way that I passed it on to my children, although they may not know the story.

In today's world, with digital technology, we can crop and print, and recolor. Although there is an art to it, it is not the same as the step by step process used by Mr. Fox. When he took pictures of weddings, for example, he had to know what was in his frame to develop later; at a recent wedding, the photographer, using digital, could see if the picture had merit after he snapped the photo. I am certain both photographers had an inner sight but my money is on Mr. Fox, who, with his sense of humor, always enlightened me.

I know there isn't a person out there that hasn't been affected in some remarkable way by someone. It may be a teacher, a neighbor, or a friend. It is never too late to retrace steps and find out who the person was and how you became more because of them. It is never too late to whisper a thank you.

Thank you, Neal Fox.

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