A moment of gratitude
Gratitude is shared in a variety of ways.
Sometimes, it comes in the form of a beautiful statue :)
Recently, the NSA NYC Chapter hosted its annual luncheon in downtown Manhattan.
This event is a special day on the calendar, as it marks the shift from one President to another, and an installation of new board members.
It’s also a chance to recognize and celebrate the contributions of several members of the chapter for the past year. And that recognition is highlighted with an awards ceremony.
The cool part is that no one knows who the winners are until the names are called out…
…but the person in charge of announcing the winners, the chapter President, drops subtle clues as to who the person is in the remarks before the name is called.
I enjoy this part as I try to figure out who it is so I can capture reaction photos of their face the moment they realize it’s them. It makes for magical moments captured in visuals.
In my 4 years photographing this particular event, I’ve gotten some amazing reactions from folks the moment they realized they were being recognized for their service.
The same was true for this particular luncheon.
As chapter President, Jeanne Stafford, announced her Presidential Gratitude award recipients one by one, I kept moving around the space, head on a swivel, listening to her words, trying to figure out who’s next…
And then, the next thing I know, I hear her say something along the lines of…
“This next award goes to the person that makes us look good in all our photos.”
Ah shit…
…she’s talking about me!
For someone whose used to patrolling the backs and sides of rooms out of eyesight and earshot from everyone, it’s weird when you have everyone in the room divert their attention to you.
Nevertheless, when my name was called, I made my way to the front of the stage, received my award, got an extra magical hug from Jeanne, and when I turned around to walk to the back of the room to grab my camera and go back to work…
…there were 7 people with smartphones standing directly in front of us, rifling off photos of Jeanne and I! One of the members grabbed my camera and started taking pictures, as well!
That was my reaction to the personal paparazzi going apeshit in front of me 😂 😂 😂
While this was a wonderful, if unexpected, moment, I don’t do what I do for awards.
I do it because I love the work unconditionally, because my business is my art, passion and purpose.
I am fortunate enough to have figured out how to monetize my art in a way that supports those who help others.
This reality is never lost on me. It is something for which I am extremely grateful.
For years, I thought my life’s work would be dedicated to creating television programming that didn’t feed my soul.
Yeah, the money would be good, but at what cost? What would be my contribution to society and legacy?
And then, I found the courage to think beyond what I already knew in order to carve out a brand new path with photography.
No, I had zero desire to be a business owner, but I had a burning passion for better. And I wanted to create cool shit.
8 years later, I’m still standing :)
While I received this award based on the gratitude of my service to the chapter, the one who is truly grateful in this relationship is me.
This community breathed new life into me and opened my eyes to what’s possible.
And I will never forget that.
#yeahabsolutely