I'm one of the many photographers in New York this week, catching up
with friends and showing my book. My primary agenda includes today's
ADC portfolio review and a shoot later in the week. I won't stick
around for the festivities this weekend.
Yesterday I met my good friend David Schinman for breakfast. Dave and I go back to our days as hardcore NY assistants. He's a very talented photographer, and he's getting more and more busy each time I talk to him. I was very inspired listening to the excitement and optmism in his voice. It's the tone you can only hear from someone who realizes that a lot of hard work is starting to pay off.
Another meeting of note yesterday was with Phil Mimaki at BBDO. The normal routine is an exchange of pleasantries, good feedback, "we'll definitely call your book in for something." In and out in 20 minutes max. It turns out that Phil is a very creative guy with whom I share a lot of personal sensabilities. We talked for close to an hour, and it made me remember that doing business is much better when you can get along well with someone as opposed to acting like dueling robots.
I ended the evening by meeting the Jackanory himself, Andrew Hetherington, for drinks near Astor Place. I was completely impressed with his take on the business of the working photographer. The point, I found, was that everything general about the photo industry needs to be personal first. We ultimately do it by ourselves, and reaching out to hold each other's hand once in awhile isn't always a bad thing. Andrew was very eloquent, and generously gave me a copy of his new book, which I'll gladly reciprocate when I return home to California.
The unifying factor was connecting with people who share a passion for what they do. It's infectious.
No comments:
Post a Comment