A photography business is so much more than workshops and shows and shooting in beautiful places. I think most of us landscape photographers are really motivated by being in beautiful places at the most beautiful times of the day. That is the reward in itself. And if we come away with a keeper or two, well, that’s the cherry on the top of the sundae.
But there’s another aspect that is more important, more inspiring and more rewarding that the photography or the sales or the awards or the recognition. It’s the people you meet and the friends you make.
Sometimes strong emotions are associated with these people. Sometimes you hear stories that tug at your heart. Last year I got a call from a man who wanted to attend the Eastern Sierra workshop but wasn’t sure if he would be available. He wanted to know if he could get his $200 nonrefundable deposit back if he couldn’t make it. You see, he had cancer. I told him, “Of course.” He made the workshop and participated enthusiastically in every shoot, every adventure. We talked about his condition and he told us all that he wasn’t going to be one of these cancer patients that goes out lying in a bed full of drugs. He would forego treatment to squeeze every last bit of life from whatever days he had left.
He returned for a second workshop this past February – in Death Valley. He was feeling fine until the week before the workshop when things turned very difficult for him. But he came anyway. He brought a friend who spent a good deal of time caring for him. He had his good moments and not so good. He would have spells of being sick and on his knees. Then it would pass and he’d be behind his camera soaking it all in.
We lost him Wednesday. He kept the faith till the end – literally. Those of us that were fortunate to spend those precious days with him in Death Valley can and will never forget how he shrugged off the spasms of sickness and pursued his passion with all the strength he had. Wow. He kept his promise to himself.
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