In 2012, Mercy Corps sent photographers to cover some of the most remarkable stories in 10 different countries, from Afghanistan to Yemen, Colombia to South Sudan. I had the good fortune to be assigned to Central Africa Republic, which was a fantastic trip. Over 17,000 photos from all these shoots landed on Phil Ottum’s desk at Mercy Corps; here are his top 10 (check out #s 2 and 3!). Below is one that I, being a card player, really liked that did not make it into Phil’s top ten. But that’s cool; cards aren’t for everyone. Be sure to check out Phil’s list–there are some very fine images in there, 8 of which rank way over mine…
So this morning I was messing around under the hood of my web site and got to wondering what post was the most hit-upon since I started this thing. Thanks to the very handy WordPress Site Stats, I noticed that the most-often-visited single posting on my web site is…The Magic Bus.I suppose some people may hit this page looking for The Who or something. Maybe not. But suffice it to say, this series of photos I made has become the most-viewed images in my entire body of work available online. Not what I would have guessed, but there it is…
Last week I did something I had not done in 14 years: run through the Campanile and down the hill at Mt. Oread and around the stadium in Lawrence, Kansas at the University of Kansas. I managed to shoot two rolls of film, and I had an amazing time reconnecting with this place, the people, and the memories of my college years. I also had the privilege of speaking to a class of journalism students at the William Allen White School of Journalism (where I have a bunch of photographs on display).
Being at KU and the J School brought back many memories of where I came from, all of which made be thankful for the journey I have taken to where I am now. And although Old KU lost the football game (barely), the time with friends in that place will be something I won’t soon forget — if ever. I just hope that it doesn’t take another 14 years to make it back there!
About a year ago I spent a good bit of the fall hanging out with artist, author and speaker Erik Wahl (and his wife, Tasha) doing interviews, photography and research for the biography called Wahl STORY that I wrote. It was a great time, and I am proud of the book that came out of these times together. I consider it some of my best work, hands down. We managed to laugh a good bit of the time, too, which resulted in a lot of crazy stuff working it’s way into the book. No topic was off the table, not even random stuff like this:
Erik Wahl at the San Diego House of Blues, December, 2011
“McDonald’s, if you’re looking at booking me, I’m still interested in speaking to you, and I think I can do a lot for your general managers, front-line staff, and executive leadership, but…I’m not so sure that your food is as healthy and nutritious as it could be.” –Erik Wahl
Apart from the book, which I know you will enjoy, being with the Wahls confirmed to me that if you really do want to go for something in life, then anything is possible if you are simply willing to give it a shot. I, of course, am a believer in that already, but sometimes it takes being with someone to ignite whatever it is in the head or the heart or the gut that actually motivates people to go do something. The book itself, in some ways, was a by-product of that very process for me. At the end of the day, Wahl’s message is to take the step, however big or small it may be. So if you are sitting there wondering what is next for you and you can’t shake that little tug in the head or the heart or the gut…that’s probably something that you should not ignore. Go for it. And if you do go on to do something cool, be sure to ping Erik and let him know. I can pretty much guarantee that when he’s sitting at the Peet’s there in San Diego working on his next presentation he’ll actually take the time to read it–and smile.
