It is often quite easy for me to start feeling down about life. In most cases, I usually know how to deal with the mild depression. I find myself bouncing back before too long. However, there are certain segments of life that are more difficult to recover from when things go bad. That is when it is very important to have good people in your life who will help you make it through.
The Photography Roller Coaster
When it comes to photography, my ups and downs are pretty drastic. I can have the best session of my life and find myself in the doldrums just a few hours later. I hate the roller coaster ride. My family isn’t exactly thrilled with the mood swings either. A sure pick me up? Find a wonderful model in front of my lens. But it is usually a fast, fleeting bit of encouragement to keep pushing that shutter button. Moderating the downhill slide is essential.
Make It Work
In the omnipresent voice of Tim Gunn, I do my best to, “Make it work!” How? By working with some of my favorite people on creative projects. That is why, when Nathaniel Goodwin calls, I come running. A constant source of inspiration, anytime I get to spend with Nate is time well spent. If you look up the encyclopedia entry for, “Human Being, Wonderful,” and his photograph isn’t featured, you’ve picked up an older edition. There are few people I have met in this world who strike me as genuine, kind, and supportive.
Little Town Blues Melting Away
Last month, Nate hit me up to do a session for a magazine submission. Compared to our normal shoots, it was a quickfire affair. He brought his A game and I we were hyper-focused on creating what we needed. The photographs taken, Nate went off to do his thing while I sat down to edit. At this point, I’m usually still feeling a bit of buzz, but I was feeling a bit more neutral. The material was good, but I was intentionally tamping down any high expectations. Focus on the work, not the excitement of the moment.
The Rest of the Story
It wasn’t long before my phone rang. I rarely answer, but Nate is on the short list. I could hear the excitement in his voice. It was contagious. Did we make it? Yes. Yes, we did. Working together, Nate and I found our work on a Times Square billboard! The possibility had never occurred to me. I am still not sure what to make of it. For now, I’m enjoying that brief moment in the sun where someone, somewhere, looked at my work and said, “Hey! That’s not bad!”
Do me favor and help me say a hearty, “Thank you!” to Nate. Please, stop by his Instagram page and throw some follows and likes at him. If you peruse his pics, you’ll see some of our images from the shoot.
