Picture a Day #9 1-08-13
Picture a Day #9, January 8th, 2013
Recently, a new photographer moved into the area from California. Last month he sent me a rather kind message praising my portfolio. Naturally, I was curious as to who this person was, so I looked at their portfolio. I was blown away! Such an accomplished photographer, such a beautiful port. My first thought was: oh great, more competition! So I waited a couple of weeks and looked at his portfolio once more. Again I was just amazed at the talent. I decided I had to repay the compliment--which I did. We chatted a bit and started planning on getting together for a cup of coffee. I continued to admire his posts of Wisconsin countryside pictures taken after the last storm.
Last night I learned that this accomplished photographer died earlier in the day of a heart attack. I was shocked! I didn't really know him all that much but the outpouring of sympathy for him and his wife was overwhelming. For my new friend Ken: I guess we'll have to wait a bit for that cup of coffee.
This tragic event reminded me of another similar loss last summer. I spent almost every day of the Rock County 4-H Fair on the fairgrounds taking pictures. I took pictures of exhibits, pictures of animals, pictures of kids showing their animals, pictures of rides, pictures of vendors, pictures of entertainers, pictures of royalty, you name it! All of those photos are available in the "clients" section of this web site. I spent the majority of my time taking pictures of 4-H kids showing their various animals. Because of that, I started to recognize the names and faces of many of these kids. There even were times that I felt proud of the trophy winners because I saw all the work they put into earning that trophy and I saw the ups and downs that they endured during the course of the fair.
One of the participants, an older kid at the end of his 4-H career, took the Grand Swine Champion award. High Impact Creations LLC captured a picture of him at the meat auction posing with the buyers of his swine meat. The next morning he was killed in a horrific car accident on the way to the fair! That picture was the last professional picture taken of him.
This is the first time I am sharing this story publicly as I don't want to get anywhere near exploiting a tragedy for business purposes. I didn't do it then, and I will not put a name to the tragedy here, or a picture. But events such as this do tend to put our lives in a bit more perspective.
The picture of the day was taken at the cemetery gates of a lonely, neglected cemetery out in the country. An old, mangled fence suggests that entry is forbidden. Inside the cemetery, a long, vertical headstone has fallen over and now rests on a smaller headstone. No human footprints are visible in the snow--only the trail of a squirrel offers evidence of tribute in this cold place of solitude.
Take care,
--jay
