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|| SportsShooter.com: Member Message Board
Emails Like This Make It Worth The Effort...
Jody Gomez, Photographer
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Murrieta | CA | USA | Posted: 7:29 PM on 11.27.09 |
->> I try to do as much as I can to help others whenever I possible. I guess it's a way for me to pay back all the people who have helped me, and to pay forward all those who may help me one day.
I've been talking to/working with a photographer named Dave for the past year or so via email and a rare phone call. Although Dave has said thank you a million times to me, the email I received from him today made it all worth it, so I wanted to share a part of it with you all to encourage you to reach out and help others.
Here's the email (or parts of it anyway):
"Working on a "Songbird Calender" for 2010 yesterday and was thinking about doing a duck calender too - which got me going thru a ton of old pictures and then it hit me........YOU are the cause of all this!!! YOU are the reason I go out in sub-zero wind chills, YOU are the reason I subject myself to be eaten by every creepy-crawly that lives in the summertime forest, YOU are the reason I spend my Friday nights on the sidelines of the worst lit stadiums ever imaginable, YOU are the reason I spend way too much money on photography equipment, YOU are the reason I have a stack of books and magazines about photography in my house, truck, garage and basement! YOU are also the reason, when I was looking at some of those old pictures, that I realized they should be destroyed, because the pics I take now are so much better than those - again, because of YOU!!!!
YOU are also the reason I try to keep the sun at my back! And the reason I learned that it is okay to shoot at f/8 and not at f/2.8 all the time?..yep, YOU again! YOU are the reason I always have an extra battery in my bag and extra CF card in my pocket! YOU are the reason I shoot with both eyes open and shoot basketball vertical!
Because of YOU, I can sell all my hunting equipment, because when that big buck comes walking in, I grab my camera instead of my bow and arrow! Yeah, because of YOU, I don't duck hunt anymore because it's more fun to shoot them with a Canon than a Remington!!!! Christ, before long I'll be a member of PETA - yeah, because of YOU!!!! Well, maybe that's getting carried away............PETA, me? Really? NAH!!!!!!!
YOU are the reason my hard drive is about to get a good cleaning, those old pics just need to be tossed.
What am I trying to do? Well, just say thank YOU for everything. When I went back to look at some of those pictures, I just cringed. Some are just awful and why I kept them is beyond me. I found it funny that on Thanksgiving day I would be doing this. I wish I had written this last night, but a day late is better than not at all. I could not ask for a better teacher/mentor/friend than YOU!!"
What a great email to receive. I truly hope this encourages each of you to consider lending your experience and wisdom to other photographers who aspire to be doing what we do everyday. Sometimes the best payment we can get is a heartfelt thank you from someone we've helped along the way (maybe more than we realize at the time).
Cheers,
Jody
PS. Dave doesn't know it yet, but one of the first things I want to teach him in 2010 is how to shoot in back light. Ha Ha |
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Peter Buehner, Photographer
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Orono | ME | USA | Posted: 10:35 PM on 11.27.09 |
->> Very nice email. That must feel great. Thanks for sharing (both with Dave and with us).
all the best to you and yours,
Peter |
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Delane B. Rouse, Photographer, Photo Editor
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Washington | DC | US | Posted: 10:52 PM on 11.27.09 |
->> Cool letter...but the first thing I'd tell him is to NOT toss out the old images.
Delane |
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Ron Hawkes, Photographer, Photo Editor
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Rockland | ME | USA | Posted: 6:39 AM on 11.29.09 |
->> Jody, thanks for sharing, nice e-mail. I agree with Delane, don't let him throw those old photos out. They served a purpose then and they do now, just a little different purpose is all.
Ron |
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