Hi All! Sorry this is late, my family and I are on
vacation with no modern technology. But
I have something really important I want to share with you so I am getting
creative.
WHO’s on First?
Growing up during my teenage
years I used to argue with my dad about a couple things (well, probably more
than a couple if I am really honest). My
mom passed away when my twin sister and I were only 13 so poor Dad was left for
all the “fun” growing up stuff. Anyway,
I digress. Dad always said we do not grow
up until we are 25 (I argued with him until I was about 28 and a parent
myself). He also said a good part of
life is about WHO you know, not WHAT you know.
Being a strong willed, task oriented perfectionist I adamantly refused
to believe that.
Over the years since then
(25+) I have experienced truth in my dad’s comment about WHO you know being
important. In fact, I am in the midst of
one of these experiences right now. Let me
explain.
During Portfolio Exploration
one of the assignments is to interview someone that uses a portfolio
(preferably someone in your chosen field of photography). At this point I was honestly still a little
confused as to exactly what direction I wanted to go. Well not so much wanted but what direction
was practical. I called a friend whose
father has been in the photography business for MANY years (studio, portrait,
events, etc) and through this conversation I told her that I am really
interested in documentary/editorial photography and maybe photojournalism. She told me she has
a friend at the Des Moines Register that is a photojournalist. At 11:30pm (sometimes we work odd hours) I received
a forwarded text from my friend saying the PJ would be happy to talk me, his
phone number and a time to call.
Sometimes it DOES matter WHO you know!
I took my list of interview
questions and within 60 seconds of the phone call he broke the “formality ice”
with a joke and the rest of the conversation/interview was a ton of fun and a
wealth of information. We ended up talking
about what equipment we used and he encouraged me to apply for an opening
photojournalist position at the Resister and told me to keep his contact
information. WOW!
Sometimes it is WHO you know.
And the story does not end
there. Every year the Register sponsors RAGBRAI (the Register’s Annual Great Bike Ride Across Iowa) and this year it
passed through my town. I planned to
photograph the event for my own purposes and as I was photographing the oldest
RABGBRAI participant (Betty turns 90 on Wednesday) I noticed someone in a Des
Moines Register t-shirt doing the same.
LIGHT BULB moment! I sent PJ a
text asking if he was in town and we could meet. He said, “Sure,” and we made arrangements.
Not only did we meet, but for
TWO HOURS, I shot photos WITH PJ!
I saw
things through the eyes of a real Photojournalist.
We
ended up on the ROOF of a BANK ......
..... and the top of the largest working windmill in
the United States .....
to get the best vantage points for street shots!
Another
thing my dad always said, “It never hurts to ask, the worst that can happen is
you get told ‘No,’ and then you are no worse off than if you had never asked.” I would add the best that can happen is they
say, “Yes!”
Who’s on first? It DOES matter!
It has been a Manic Monday…..
Monday Ambassador
Photo credits:
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKP7jEIzQCFt0mnOO_UDnRwS_GwRJWl5TFnTWebjrScSKTw5XTmuQYvd0xfiVvKuMpxzY85_6RgBazxNQrwYbbR4OAvzsBZUdQEk05T0BzI8Sq2aAAkuKl0FeqNok9cVH-QwA2ly8acqs/s1600/A+%26+c.jpg
Lisa K.
Morgan Photography (lisakayimages.zenfolio.com)
