And now we're back.
Over the last couple of weeks, I have been humbled to receive three unrelated emails from three strangers who came across my work online and were moved to write me some warm fuzzies, which in turn gave me the warm fuzzies. Appreciation garners appreciation, and to the total strangers who were nice enough to take time out of their days to reach out to me, I APPRECIATE you! Probably to Angelina Jolie or Hillary Clinton or Beyonce, three admiring emails over the course of a couple weeks is laughable. To me, it is a bright spark of hope during an otherwise somewhat bleak personal time, that says maybe just maybe I am somewhere remotely close to being on the right path.
The first email in this group that I received was from a student and commercial photographer who said that after reading my bio and looking through my galleries, he felt the need to express how much he enjoyed my work. He asked if I would look through his work and offer any advice for someone trying to build up a food photography portfolio. The advice I offered him was something I believe in very much:
"The way I look at photography is that everything is a portrait. Whether you are photographing people, food or architecture, there is something that you are trying to convey about your subject in each photograph, some element that you find most interesting or beautiful that you want to highlight. If you can figure out what that is, I think that is the key to making a strong image. You have to be in love with your subject, and that love will translate to your image. For me with food, I always try to find the thing about each dish or item that is most interesting to me, whether the color or texture, the overall shape of the dish or the way one single element of it stands out, and that is what I build my image around... Focus on what you love and that will always come through in your photography."The second email I received was from a woman who wrote me exactly six words:
"Your photographic work is impeccably beautiful."I'm not sure I was able to convey in my response to her exactly how much those six words meant to me, and I'm not sure I am able to convey it now, except in the realization that maybe when I take the time to email people I admire, as I sometimes do, and I blabber on and on trying to express in detail just how moved I am by them and why, and how connected we are by our shared experiences or philosophies, it might come across as actually less sincere than the simplicity of those few words equating to "I admire your work...period."
The third email I found in my inbox most recently was from a student at Le Cordon Bleu (the second student from one of their schools who has reached out to me actually, so good on you LCB for encouraging research!). She needed to interview a food photographer for her final project, and she chose me based on the passion she felt I imparted in the "about" section of my website. She asked me thought-provoking questions about how to stay inspired and how to be successful, the kinds of questions that I should remember to ask myself on more regular basis anyway. She seemed grateful for my heartfelt answers, but probably not as grateful as I am to her for choosing me to give them.
It truly astounds me when I don't receive responses from people to whom I go out of my way to send personal messages, agonizing over the words to try to convey in absolution what I want them to hear. Knowing how positively affected I am by these random acts of kindness from others, I can't believe that people could be so jaded or so busy to not feel the same way, especially because that lack of response kills a little bit of the admiration. It makes me want to visit their establishments or recommend them to others a little bit less, but mostly I think expressing appreciation for someone is about the nicest thing you can do, and failing to acknowledge that generosity of self is not admirable at all.
Don't be swayed by non-response though; don't be afraid to express your admiration or appreciation to people. I have to believe that most people respond the way I do, at least internally, and you never know the effect your words might have on someone. You might help them get through a terrible day, or remind them why they work so hard at what they do. You might give them the support they needed to take the next step, and that next step might make all the difference.
And now, in the long-awaited heat and sunshine of Canada Day weekend, chocolate peanut butter gelato (and maybe a nice email to someone I admire) is waiting.
Shoot! I'm hungry.
