Anniston, Alabama (WLJS) --- An Anniston photographer officially retired from his services Wednesday, bringing an end to his decade long business.
Landon Brooks, 31, the youngest African-American man to open a business inside Oxford's Quintard Mall, Landon Brooks Photography, set his camera down for the last time after serving tens of thousands of clients from across the state of Alabama and around the world.
Brooks announced on December 2 that he would be taking this time to recover from health problems that, according to the December 2 statement, included depression, rheumatoid arthritis, anxiety and high blood pressure.
Brooks released this statement to WLJS News Wednesday:
"As many of you know, I'll be retiring my public services as a photographer today. I would like to take a second to thank each and every one of you for having made me who I am today [and] for helping to create such a satisfying and pleasant work experience over the last 10 years.
"No other age in all of history has been ruled more by love than this. My love is the love of the art of photography and [the] love of truth. I have utilized my love to find deep wisdom and it has opened the fundamental law of life. As happy as I am to be moving on to the next chapter of my life, I can't help but be a little sad by what I have found out about life. We live in a time that pictures are making a mighty impression upon the minds and the hearts of young people today. A picture only tells you what the photographer wants you to see, which may be misleading. It can be like following a map that is not correct. You will not find your final destination.
"The power of photography is this -- it is precise to what you see, but leaves room for self interpretation unlike any other art. As an artist, I am able to see and feel more than the average person. This allows me to emphasize the truth of what I am photographing so that it is a lasting impression on the mind, and touches your heart in a vivid and lasting way. This is not true today. The advancement of digital photography has impaired the ability to gain a true respect of the art of photography. With this being said, we as a generation are leaving a lasting impression on the future.
"The only true fame that is worth the name, is that which comes to you as an object unsought. To hunt for fame is like hunting for pleasure. I have found that it is little to no satisfaction in fame when found. You never get a reputation at all worth having without suffering for it. The past 10 years have been just that. The point is to please God and bless the world we live in, and if you do this, whether famous, with people or not, you will have the high place of honor with God. To whom much is given, of him much is required.
"When I see a thing is true, I'll go to work and put it through. There has not been a moment in all the past more important than the present. In case you don't have it, my personal e-mail is booklandon@gmail.com."
This report was made through WLJS News in Jacksonville, Alabama on 1/1/2014 at 5:01 P.M.
