9/11 plus 8

Today, on the eighth anniversary of 9/11, many channels ran specials, some of which I DVR'ed. After watching one tonight, taped in 2002, interviewing photographers who captured images that day, watching unbelievable images documented that day, I felt compelled to write something - if not to honor the people who suffered and died on that day (and in the subsequent years in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Pakistan),but at least to share what it's reminded me of.

As so many of us were, the attacks, chaos, and destruction that ensued from that day impacted my life profoundly. Although I was back in the Bay Area from a recent trip, I found myself depressed for weeks and months by all the events that occurred- it was weird since I'd never experienced that- to be moved and affected by something that happened 3000 miles away.

I look at America eight years later and wonder if we've changed for the better. Politically in many ways we have, but in other ways with the infighting, greed, the lack of finding common ground, the pursuit of arguing to win instead of fighting for what's wrong or right, and the push to merge church and state by some shows me that we haven't. And although massive greed almost killed the economic machine that allows us to live so freely and comfortably as compared to other countries, even that didn't stop business-as-usual for the ones who feel their place in this world is based on their bank balance instead of their character. Even Plato understood this when he wrote "All the gold which under or upon the Earth is not enough to give in exchange for virtue", and he lived almost 2500 years ago.

To top it off, we still seem to care about crazy reality couples who've become famous by having too many children, and buy the ridiculous magazines to read the gossip and support this behavior, instead of finding medical care for so many underprivileged children in this Nation. In this still rich Nation.

So these were the things I was reminded of today as a photographer who has traveled the world. September 11th, 2009 gave me the chance again to honor the fallen Americans, but also reminded me that this Nation was formed, compiled, created by people of all nations - and that all nationalities were changed, were moved, were killed.

On September 7th, 2001, I took the NY Subway to the World Trade Center and walked through the lobby for the first time; an Iranian-American with my Italian-Beliguim journalist friend ending our week of work in NYC. Four days later the world changed for so many lives. Eight years later it continues to affect Americans - Americans who came together from every corner of the world.

Time flies & love blooms when you haven't blogged

Seconds turned into days turned into weeks- I haven't blogged for almost a month- crazy.

The past month I shot a few assignments (built an on-location studio for a company in the North Bay of the San Francisco Bay Area, capturing 40 food & wine displays), taught an exposure course with a book signing at Book Passage in Corte Madera (a great bookstore in the Marin/ Mill Valley area), licensed some images to a few magazines and clients (a nice double-page spread of a Half Dome image which you'll see in a few months), worked on two new books which I'm very excited about (out in 2010-2011), and sold five 30x50 prints to recruiting company. All while my girls started school- a busy August.

But what I wanted to write about was something I found out while lecturing at Book Passage. Two past workshop students came to take the class, told me they met at my weekend workshop two years earlier at Pt Reyes, and ended up falling in love- now married- they said, I could add 'match-maker' to my list of accomplishments. I was tickled pink (when was the last time you heard that term?!). Actually, it really was a cool thing to hear. As we all go through our daily grinds, move through our busy lives, setting up events, meetings, goals, we rarely consider how it might affect other lives.

When I plan my workshop presentations, I think of all the experience and knowledge I've gained through my 19-year career, and how I can add specific images and information into my lectures and field notes to help photographic enthusiasts improve their skills - to help them learn how to communicate with their cameras better. But I don't think I ever imagined two people meeting at one of my events and deciding to spend the rest of their lives together. It doesn't seem far fetched, but I just never thought of it.

So here's to photography bringing more love to the world - in the day and age of glorifying ridiculous rude behavior on tv, where wars continue to tear lives apart, where corporate greed runs rampant, and where a wealthy country like the US can't find a way to take care of its own, I seems like we could use a bit more love.

eHarmony, eat your heart out.