Early+Childhood+and+Education

__**Early Childhood and Education **__   Edward Weston was born on March 24, 1886 in Highland Park, Illinois. His parents were Edward Burbank Weston, who was an obstetrician and Alice Jeanette Brett, who was a Shakespearean actress. Since his mother died when Edward was only five, his older sister Mary was his main caregiver from a very early age. It is said that Edward grew detached from his home and family life when his father remarried when Edward was nine years old. Edward Weston grew up in Chicago and attended Oakland Grammar School. However, never finding much interest in school work, he did not finish high school. He found his true calling after receiving a Bull's Eye #2 camera from his father on his sixteenth birthday. He took his first photographs of Chicago Parks and his aunt's farm. After returning home from a vacation to the Midwest, his love for photography had grown so much that he decided to buy a 5x7 inch view camera. He also learned to develop his own prints and films. In 1906, Weston had his first photograph published in the magazine, //Camera and Darkroom//, after which he decided to move to California. He worked his way along by photographing animals, children and even funerals. However, he soon realized that he could benefit from formal training and he returned to Illinois in 1908 to attend the Illinois College of Photography in Effingham. He then completed the full year program in six short months and moved back to California. He then went on to create and publish many successful works and become one of the most influential photographers of the 20th century. For more info, see Career Breakdown and Influence.