In the spring of 1981, I was walking the streets of Rome. I had no particular plan that day. I was just wandering with my Mamiya C330. As I turn a corner, I heard the sound of an accordion. At one end of the street a movie was being made. There were bright lights shining down there. The music flowed from the other direction. There was a little boy sitting on some cardboard with a cat in his lap. I just began taking photos. Five altogether. I was transported to a different state of being. It was like the camera, music, the boy, and cat were all at once flowing through me.
When I am asked what my favorite photo that I ever took is, I point to this one. It is the one that changed the experience of taking a photograph. All the other times I went photographing after this I was looking for the feeling I had while taking this one. Often, I find this feeling of connection to all things at once. An art teacher suggested to me that this maybe what your photography is all about.
I have had it hanging on my wall everywhere I have lived since I took it. My son one day asked me who took that one. I said I did. He was surprised. He said he thought it was by somebody famous.
