I am working at the editing desk today, pushing a deadline for 4 pm and out of the blue I get a phone call. Now it's not from someone I know very well. In fact we met very briefly at a party in Central America last spring. This person goes on to tell me how he is looking for someone with my experience to manage the photography side of his little hotel chain in Central America. Now I have to say the description of "little' for this guy's hotel is laced with sarcasm. He owns most of the private luxury properties in Central and South America. For those of you that haven't had this experience, high end boutique hotels often have photographers on staff or on speed dial to cover celebrity guests, weddings and events on location for them. This saves so much time and money for them and the work is fabulous. Excellent remuneration, accommodation and meals paid for. It's really a sweet deal. If you work for a group of them, it's really quite the life.
So as he's talking, we get down to the bare bones of the conversation. I need time to travel elsewhere to get the pictures I really want and he wants me to travel throughout South and Central America to handle his other properties location work. There are still questions to be answered before I go forward.
When I asked him what made him decide to call , he had a tale to tell me. I photographed a young man and his family on the beach last year in a candid moment. I didn't know this man or his family, but they were playing volleyball on the beach and I had some great images of them laughing and enjoying themselves.
I remember the picture and how soft the lighting was, the waves were moving in, and taking over their volleyball game but they continued to play. A short wave and a long serve caught the ball and dragged it out so the teenagers had to swim to catch it. They returned to shore cheering the capture and strong swimming of the boys. With a heave ho and a shove, they piled on each other in the wet sand and another wave swooped in and soaked them all again. I was smiling as I watched their family game. I checked the images and this one stood out from the rest so I had to show them.
Me being me, I walked into their happy scene and showed them all the picture and collected the email address with promises to send it when I returned home.
When I arrived back in Canada, I had a few pressing assignments so I didn't edit the pictures right away. When I did finally send it down to them, the young lad was just very ill and they had no diagnosis. They brought him home to Canada and he was looked after right away. By Christmas time they finally knew what he had and were taking the necessary steps to help him fight the disease. I could hear the emotion pouring through the phone when he said they all, extended family included, often look at that picture I took because that's the last time everyone was really happy. The family I photographed was his nephew's.
He did a thorough background check on me and decided I was the one he wanted. The picture was some of my best work, and very lovely with 'late in the day' lighting. It wasn't just the picture, it was the fact that I sent it to a stranger, as a gift to remember this happy day without asking for anything in return. He said that anyone that would do this and share this compassionate and positive energy is someone he wants on his team.
I love my life here in Calgary, my friends, the city coming to life and being able to capture it in my lens is what I live for everyday. I can not dismiss his offer for this work very lightly. My head says to go where the money is to another culture, my heart is in love with Calgary and the friends I have here. Do I stay and continue down the path of starving artist?.... or do I jump at the opportunity and go back to living out of a suitcase and seeing the world again? ....
Hmmmm Don't forget to check your Compass!
Cole
So as he's talking, we get down to the bare bones of the conversation. I need time to travel elsewhere to get the pictures I really want and he wants me to travel throughout South and Central America to handle his other properties location work. There are still questions to be answered before I go forward.
When I asked him what made him decide to call , he had a tale to tell me. I photographed a young man and his family on the beach last year in a candid moment. I didn't know this man or his family, but they were playing volleyball on the beach and I had some great images of them laughing and enjoying themselves.
I remember the picture and how soft the lighting was, the waves were moving in, and taking over their volleyball game but they continued to play. A short wave and a long serve caught the ball and dragged it out so the teenagers had to swim to catch it. They returned to shore cheering the capture and strong swimming of the boys. With a heave ho and a shove, they piled on each other in the wet sand and another wave swooped in and soaked them all again. I was smiling as I watched their family game. I checked the images and this one stood out from the rest so I had to show them.
Me being me, I walked into their happy scene and showed them all the picture and collected the email address with promises to send it when I returned home.
When I arrived back in Canada, I had a few pressing assignments so I didn't edit the pictures right away. When I did finally send it down to them, the young lad was just very ill and they had no diagnosis. They brought him home to Canada and he was looked after right away. By Christmas time they finally knew what he had and were taking the necessary steps to help him fight the disease. I could hear the emotion pouring through the phone when he said they all, extended family included, often look at that picture I took because that's the last time everyone was really happy. The family I photographed was his nephew's.
He did a thorough background check on me and decided I was the one he wanted. The picture was some of my best work, and very lovely with 'late in the day' lighting. It wasn't just the picture, it was the fact that I sent it to a stranger, as a gift to remember this happy day without asking for anything in return. He said that anyone that would do this and share this compassionate and positive energy is someone he wants on his team.
I love my life here in Calgary, my friends, the city coming to life and being able to capture it in my lens is what I live for everyday. I can not dismiss his offer for this work very lightly. My head says to go where the money is to another culture, my heart is in love with Calgary and the friends I have here. Do I stay and continue down the path of starving artist?.... or do I jump at the opportunity and go back to living out of a suitcase and seeing the world again? ....
Hmmmm Don't forget to check your Compass!
Cole
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