"Why, yes," I said, looking for the first time at the man with the fancycam, "Yes I am."
"I thought so, man. I got you bookmarked. Love your stuff. It's... it's ... real."
I thanked the man behind the Sony and turned back to my own upturned eyepiece. At the end of that shallow tube, a tiny politician stared back at me, his voice pouring out of the earpiece laying across my shoulder. I suppose I should have been listening, but all I really could do there in the red glow of the 'RECORD' light was smile. It was to be a very long shift, one involving meth labs (not a good idea), 400 plus research monkeys (don't ask), and a butt-puckering round of live truck stunt parking (imagine backing a river barge down a spiral staircase), but of all the inanity and adventure that was about to follow, a fellow photog's offhand compliment turned out to be the highlight of my day.'Why's that?' you ask...Ego, baby! But it's more than that. It's, dare I say, validation. See, when I first began sharing my narratives on-line, I figured it would only be a matter of time before some camera-carrying pro called me out. After all, it was easy to impress friends and family with my behind the scenes lore, but those in the know? Surely, they'd see through my prose as the ambitious ramblings of a failed reporter. Not. So. In my time as a blogging photog, I've been lucky enough to meet many of my small band of readers. While never an unpleasant experience, the most meaningful feedback has come from working photojournalists, who look past the wordplay and the self aggrandizing photos to see if I'm capturing their world correctly. So far, I've gotten a resounding thumbs-up - which says alot since we photogs can spot a poseur from across a crowded press conference. What better affirmation than that of the person whose very plight you're trying to spotlight? Well, a big fat check would be nice, but until that (never) happens I'll gladly settle for the recognition of my swarthy peers...
And who knows? Someday, they may even get the name right.
6 comments:
Instead of "blogging photog," you should call yourself and "phoblographer."
Great stuff, as always, and it's nice to see you get that affirmation that what you do is read, and appreciated.
Then again, the comments box does the same thing, right?
Cheers,
Mike
When I moved back to CA from NC a few years ago, I got a Bunch of this from photogs: "oh, you worked with that lenslinger dude, cool!". Or "lenslinger knows how to write". Or, This is the best one, "what's he like In real life?"...........
East coast to the west coast, north to south, people In the biz have come to appreciate Your writing and Insight. For me, however, It's just cool to keep up with the old gang.
AK-AKA Newshawk.
Don't feel too bad, 'Slinger. The Gunslinger is a great character from Stephen King's Dark Tower books. I kind of picture the two of you as the same person.
You write the prose and I'll tote the gun....crookedpaw
Those ah-ha moments are great. And you deserve the kudos. Keep showing the world that us tape-apes are more than a steady shoulder and unblinking eye.
It's also great to know some of us can read.
Hermano,
Your not a failed reporter... you just had to find your voice. You're a storyteller with the lens, and with the keyboard.
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