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02/03/2007 10:47:13 AM · #1 |
Realizing Your Dreams - Part 1
Do you have a dream to do something that you would do just about anything to make it real? I hope so! It doesn't have to be grandiose or over-the-top; it just needs to be something you can work towards. In fact, it might make sense to have a number of little dreams that are part of your big dream.
Why?
If you treat life as a destination, you miss the journey. If you only have one dream, one thing to focus your energy on, by the time you accomplish it, you'll have missed out on so much, you won't be able to appreciate what you've done.
On the other hand, if you break your dreams down into stepping stones, you will not only find your journey easier, but you'll also be able to enjoy yourself more along the way.
I began to dream when I picked up an SLR for the first time, when I was 16. I had no clue what I was doing. There was a little needle in the viewfinder and some dials to turn to try to get the needle to settle in the middle between a plus and minus sign. There was a circle with a line through it in the middle of the screen; if I turned this ring on the lens the right way, the top and bottom parts of the circle would match up, indicating that something was in focus. That was all I was taught, and all I needed to know: get the needle in the middle and get something in focus. I was set for life! Well, at the very least, I was a yearbook photographer.
This incredible situation lasted through high school. We had a dark room, a bulk film loader, two lenses (including a telephoto zoom), and hardly any adult supervision. This wasn't something that was abused (looking back, there's no telling how much trouble I could have gotten into had I not been so young and naive). Rather, I had the opportunity to fall in love with photography.
The summer after I graduated high school, my sister went to visit one of the aunts she was named for. When we went to pick her up, she showed us these amazing portraits that a friend of my aunts had taken in a university garden. My aunt introduced me to the man, telling him I about my interest in photography. He took me to his apartment and I was absolutely blown away! On his walls were the most incredible collection of photos. He had piles of prints, some matted, some not, some large, some small, some color, but mostly black and white. I was utterly enthralled.
The ones that sparked me the most were the basketball photos. They looked like they were straight out of Sports Illustrated! I asked him if he could get me in to shoot a game. He smiled and told me that there just wasn't enough room, because everyone with a camera wanted to do just that. I was bummed; I went back to enjoying his imagery, but I left there with a burning desire to some day get a spot on that floor...
Fast forward almost 30 years. My big dream has been evolving over the years, but it has primarily been to work as a fulltime photographer. As I look back over where I've been, my multi-threaded life has been weaving this cloth, and it has been slowly coming together. There have been many ups and many downs. It has been an awesome journey, made up mainly of moments shared with many, many wonderful and interesting people, and a journey made possible by an incredibly supporting family. It is a journey fueled by having destinations along the way.
A few months ago, after completing a successful photo essay for a magazine, the editor told me to be thinking about what I would do next. He shifted the responsibility of coming up with an assignment to me! This was not going to be easy, given the parameters: the magazine was focused on executive lifestyles, and the issue was coming out in March. What could I shoot in the dead of winter that would be relevant to businesses' upper echelon in March?
I agonized over this for a week or so without coming up that really rocked me. Finally, it hit me! An assignment that would would not only fit the bill, but also get me one step closer to ticking off a life-long dream: shooting an ACC basketball game!
My story: "The Executive Treatment at UVa's new John Paul Jones Arena." I knew the arena had skyboxes that had been sold to corporations, and I knew they had other hospitality packages available. My idea was to shoot people enjoying these top-end amenities, using an ACC basketball game as a backdrop. I pitched it to the magazine, and they loved it. It turns out that that was the easy part. Pitching UVa on it was going to be a completely different thing.
First, I had to find the people to talk to. The arena actually has two different event departments: one for basketball, one for everything else. The "everything else" includes hosting Eric Clapton, the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Billy Joel, as well as the Monster Truck Jam and Champions on Ice. It's not enough to have someone's phone number and email address--you have to be able to get them on the phone! Just because you think you have the greatest idea in the world does not mean they are going to share your enthusiasm. After a few weeks of chasing around, I finally got through to someone I could pitch.
And I was told I needed to talk to someone else...
(But, I should point out that I was also given a lot of great background information, and some fallback options, just in case my original idea fell through.)
It took a bit of work to get through to the person who I really needed to talk to, but, I finally made contact. He liked the idea, and told me to put it in writing so they would have something to talk about internally.
I was ready for this, but, I was also starting to get a bit nervous...after all, there was this thing called a "deadline." I called the editor and explained where I was and what I was looking at. I told him I had a proposal, and asked him if he could send it, as I thought it would have more credibility coming from him as editor than from me as a freelancer. He agreed, and off it went. With the deadline creeping closer, all I could do I was wait on pins and needles.
And boy, oh boy, you can't begin to imagine what it was like getting the email green-lighting the story!!! Yow-zah!! The University Basketball Deparment was going to pull out all the stops for us, getting us access to all the hospitality suites, getting us into a skybox during the game, and, getting me a spot on the baseline to shoot the Duke-UVa basketball game...this was going to be a dream come true!
to be continued...
Message edited by author 2007-02-03 13:40:11. |
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02/03/2007 11:59:38 AM · #2 |
Sometimes I worry about you Skip. How in the world do you have time to do any photography with all the outstanding writing about your photography that you do? :)
I look forward to hearing the rest of the story and, of course, seeing the photos.
Rock on! You are an inspiration to all of us. |
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02/03/2007 12:03:47 PM · #3 |
| Nice reading Skip. I'll be looking for the continuation. |
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02/03/2007 12:29:04 PM · #4 |
congratulations on getting those ducks all in a row!
my wife & I like to tell our children how 'everything happens for a reason', and i plan to share your story with them - the same type of things happen to all of us, something happens in life that sets up for later successes
thank you for sharing your experiences with us, as it gives all of us both positive examples, and a reason to shoot for the stars! |
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02/04/2007 04:26:19 PM · #5 |
Skip:
It sounds GREAT! Congrats! And I look forward to hearing more of the tale - AND reading about how my alma mater treats you! ;-)
I have to say that given all of the people here on DPC, YOU  skiprow probably have inspired me the most. I've been fortunate enough to meet up with you a few times and those experiences have left indelible impressions upon me. I can really tell that you LOVE what you do. It gives me hope beyond hope that I can achieve my dreams as well.
You always find the time to help out "newcomers" like me with sage wisdom and insightful recommendations. I know that I (for one) really appreciate all that you are and do.
I didn't really pick up a camera until about 2 years ago, but it has been a fast-paced love affair ever since. I LOVE everything about photography and you have been an encouraging voice throughout (along with  jutilda and a few others). Pedro, Louis, and fotomann_forever have been a great help for my first wedding shoot (which I completed this weekend). My great teammates on The Untouchables ( philup, judi, thegrandwazoo, timfythetoo, & TomFoolery) have been a terrific inspiration as well.
Just this week, my father indicated that he wanted to help me set up a studio in town - to support me in my own dreams of being a photographer for a "real" living. Without the support, honest critiques, and inspiration I've found on DPC, I would never have made it to this point. So dreaming and reaching for those dreams can become your reality too...
THANKS EVERYBODY & THANK YOU SKIP FOR THE GREAT THREAD!
Jimmy
Message edited by author 2007-02-04 16:32:09. |
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