When many camp alumni ponder Nebagamon photography, their first thoughts turn immediately to the great Joe Kirkish. Not only did he start the photography project, per Muggs Lorber’s request, he also taught it for many years, both in an official and unofficial capacity. Case in point: In the recently published Thanks for the Pines book, the spread about the photography project includes two photos of Joe: One shows him snapping photos. It’s from 1962. The other shows him instructing a camper. It’s from 2001.
Joe was officially a staff member from 1952-58. Below are a dozen-and-a-half images from that era (click on a thumbnail) that were presumably Kirkish classics. They reveal how his photos are as creative as they are evocative. As Joe wrote in his essay in the book, “The ‘snapshots’ of camp through the years convey the passage of time, both within each summer and from summer to summer. But the ‘photographs’ are a product of endless artistic opportunities.”
