Why I Do this

Five-year-old Katie Grace plays in the rain outside Chase St Elementary School on Thursday, August 30, 2007.



Sometimes You win. Sometimes you lose. Sometimes it rains.

So people ask my why i do what i do. The hours aren't great. The money isn't great. Its constant negotiation to get access and set things up to get the best photos possible. Granted, its a cool job, its a lot of fun, etc., and so on. I've seen things and been places i've never thought I'd do. But I have a desire to change the world with my photos; to somehow change the world - or at least my little corner of it - or otherwise brighten someone's day.

The best rewards i get from this job are the times i do manage to make someone's day. The rewards i get from my peers are nice, but the most rewarding moments are when i've gotten thank yous from a subject or their parent. Its pretty amazing to see a parent tear up at the joy of seeing their kid in our newspaper, especially if its amazing. It's almost a little creepy when you see your photo on a t-shirt. At my previous job, someone bought a copy of the original file from the paper and put it on a shirt for their daughter, with the text being "Thats my big sister."

So you can imagine my utter shock and surprise when the father of one of my grown-up subjects emailed me about my photos of him earlier this month. This is the father of someone whom i admire and respect greatly. I was beyond flattered and will go out of my way to get some additional stuff in a few weeks. So Woody, you made my day and then some.