Welcome to the blog post the brings you another look into my book, another sneak peek into my work in progress Glass Eyes: A Photographers Journey.
I really don’t have a build up for this post, it discusses the building of my network and friendships that have made my career a reality. I am just going to let the excerpt speak for itself.
“It took me several months after my return to pick up my camera and start shooting again. I was in a strange limbo where I wanted to be out taking photos and needed to reboot to where I was when I left and stuck completely missing being in a new country, seeing and photographing new things every week.
Ultimately it was a phone call from a friend that jolted me back into shooting mode. Prior to leaving for my voyage with Semester at Sea I had been shooting rodeos, and the rodeo performer Shadow Montag. Before I left we had even had a modeling shoot around the time I learned I was accepted to the program.
In March of 2012 just five months before I would board the ship that changed my life and provide the global perspective I now have; I photographed my first ever model shoot with Shadow Montag, Victoria McCon, and Taylor Porter. That shoot brought me compliments, helped secure my photographers assistant position with Semester at Sea, and went from one day to two but was never completed.
Due to a loss of light the western shots with Shadow and his horses had to be pushed to the following day but an accident would cancel all of that. The morning of part two Shadow experienced a fall from his horse that resulted in a traumatic brain injury, his being life flighted, and a loss in memory.
He had his own journey to reclaiming his passion and goals but come the summer of 2013 he was planning his comeback. He contacted me, to this day I recall the surprise because of his memory I assumed my small part in his life be gone but he remembered me. He asked me to photograph fan photos from a performance he was planning and just like that our 10 year journey together began.
But time can change everything, people, friendships, and businesses. ”
Read more in Glass Eye when available (2022) to see if our friendship survived, all the ups and downs of business and “friendship”.