Summer Plans...
I'm sure you've heard the old adage, "be careful what you wish for, it might come true". Even crazy, far fetched ideas that you know are crazy and far fetched.
Over the last year I've taken, literally, 3-4,000 sports photos, mainly for Midland High School. And I've loved it; met some nice new people and had fun being in the midst of the action. But, frankly, I got a little blase over the last several months. How many images of "guy on 2nd base, guy on 3rd base, guys in football pads" can you snap before they all start to look the same. Well about 3-4,000 I guess, because that's where I am.
One of the key elements of photography, that people forget, is that to get good and intersesting shots, you first have to be where the good and interesting shots are. So, over the last month or so I started to think of somewhere to go where there would definitely be good and interesting shots. There is a country I'll call "Shangri-La" that I've always been fascinated with, more so in recent years because it's been in the news. And my interest increased when I was in Washington in February and spoke to an old Army friend who is now a senior state department attache. He had recently returned from a years posting in Shagri-La and related that Shagri-La was one of the most interesting, historic and beautiful places he had ever been. I spoke with him again this week and he said he had met numerous photographers roaming Shangri-La taking photos for various news agencies and they all seemed to be faring well.
So, as crazy as I knew this was, I at least wanted to see if it might possible for me to get to Shangi-La too. I started with a local media outlet, whose assistance I would need, fully expecting them to ask for my release papers from the Nut House. Instead I was told that this seemed like an interesting idea and pending corporate approval, they would be interested in assisting me. Next using a contact I had met in Washington I got the name of the federal official in charge of media affairs in Shangri-La. Knowing a few leaders in his branch of the government helped, since I could use their names to establish that though possibly insane I am not crazy nor a subversive. He was very helpful and told me if I wanted to go to come on...and where do I want to be and when do I want to come!
I had thought that by this stage in my inquiries some official would have just simply said, "hell no you can't go to Shangri-La" and I would have said simply "OK at least I tried". But that's not the way it's working and it's looking like Shangri-La may be a distinct possibility. There are some key points to be resolved including travel, my hosts in Shangri-La and communications questions. But today I received the form necessary to be a "legal" photographer in Shangri-La.
It looks like such a friendly place, Shangri-La, but I wonder due to some of the questions on the form
Do you have your own body armor/kevlar *required Do you have any disability that prohibits you from running? In the unlikely event of emergency, death or declared missing list next of kin for notification.
What kind of vacation resort asks those questions?? :>]
I'm sure you've heard the old adage, "be careful what you wish for, it might come true". Even crazy, far fetched ideas that you know are crazy and far fetched.
Over the last year I've taken, literally, 3-4,000 sports photos, mainly for Midland High School. And I've loved it; met some nice new people and had fun being in the midst of the action. But, frankly, I got a little blase over the last several months. How many images of "guy on 2nd base, guy on 3rd base, guys in football pads" can you snap before they all start to look the same. Well about 3-4,000 I guess, because that's where I am.
One of the key elements of photography, that people forget, is that to get good and intersesting shots, you first have to be where the good and interesting shots are. So, over the last month or so I started to think of somewhere to go where there would definitely be good and interesting shots. There is a country I'll call "Shangri-La" that I've always been fascinated with, more so in recent years because it's been in the news. And my interest increased when I was in Washington in February and spoke to an old Army friend who is now a senior state department attache. He had recently returned from a years posting in Shagri-La and related that Shagri-La was one of the most interesting, historic and beautiful places he had ever been. I spoke with him again this week and he said he had met numerous photographers roaming Shangri-La taking photos for various news agencies and they all seemed to be faring well.
So, as crazy as I knew this was, I at least wanted to see if it might possible for me to get to Shangi-La too. I started with a local media outlet, whose assistance I would need, fully expecting them to ask for my release papers from the Nut House. Instead I was told that this seemed like an interesting idea and pending corporate approval, they would be interested in assisting me. Next using a contact I had met in Washington I got the name of the federal official in charge of media affairs in Shangri-La. Knowing a few leaders in his branch of the government helped, since I could use their names to establish that though possibly insane I am not crazy nor a subversive. He was very helpful and told me if I wanted to go to come on...and where do I want to be and when do I want to come!
I had thought that by this stage in my inquiries some official would have just simply said, "hell no you can't go to Shangri-La" and I would have said simply "OK at least I tried". But that's not the way it's working and it's looking like Shangri-La may be a distinct possibility. There are some key points to be resolved including travel, my hosts in Shangri-La and communications questions. But today I received the form necessary to be a "legal" photographer in Shangri-La.
It looks like such a friendly place, Shangri-La, but I wonder due to some of the questions on the form
What kind of vacation resort asks those questions?? :>]
