One of the benefits of joining professional photography organizations is the opportunity to meet and network with fellow professionals. Over time, those connections you make may develop into more than just “fellow members.”
I’d like to tell you about one of those connections.
I don’t remember meeting Bob, but I remember always knowing who he was.
There are always those, especially in print competition, whose names are bandied about often enough that you know they are within the backbone and framework of the accomplished artists of the organization. They are the ones that have been around long enough to know everyone. The ones that have been in the industry longer than you’ve been an adult. The ones that go up front to accept a trophy. And then another. And another.
They are the ones with more letters after their name than in it. The ones with so much bling around their necks that you wonder how they stand up straight.
They are the ones you respect, admire, and more often than not, envy.
They are the ones you want to be like when you grow up. (I think we might be in a little bit of trouble if this pans out.)
Bob is more than a photographer. He is an artist. He is a teacher. He is a mentor. He is a friend. We have taught together, laughed together and worked together. He’s been beside me at the teaching podium and behind the curtains at print competition judgings. He’s my convention date when our spouses don’t attend and the one I call to share good news.
He has inspired me to become more than a photographer. Because of him, I am embracing the concept of photographic artist.
I am grateful to have met him and thankful that he has played such an important role in my growth as an artist.
He recently was the subject of a short film by Ryan J. Koppelman: Beyond Passion.
Glimpse into the mind and work of a man who has given me much to think about…