Hi everyone, Happy Holidays! I’ll be out of the office starting today and until the new year. About two weeks ago, I got an inquiry to shoot a wedding in India over Christmas and New Year’s. After much thought and luck trying to get everything to line up, I’m finally going. I’m really excited as I never been to India and this will be the closest I’ll be to my birthplace country of Burma after leaving it back in the mid-80s.
I’ve never met the couple or even spoken to them, so I’m really looking forward to that. Both parties took a lot of chances for this to happen, i.e. booking flights before getting a Visa (I got that yesterday, phew!), working out the logistics with the vendors in India, and just trusting one another to come through.
One of the toughest lessons I learned this year was that anything could happen at any time. To live each day like there’s no tomorrow, as you really don’t know what life has in store for you when you wake up the next day. It’s been one roller coaster ride of a year, and despite the downs, the ups have made each moment worthwhile.
I was going to make a video this morning for this post, but the airline company called at 6AM letting me know my flight from Los Angeles to Paris will be delayed due to heavy snow, thus pushing all the other connecting flights back. And if I wanted to make it to India on the 26th, I would need to reroute my flight to Amsterdam. The new one takes off in roughly 4 hours, so I better say what I need to here quickly. It’s Christmas Eve, Friday,…going to be quite interesting at LAX. At least it finally stopped raining here in LA :).
Seems like it was just yesterday (exactly two years ago) that I finally got to step foot outside the country again and head out to Europe. That two-week trip not only changed my approach to photography but also my life forever. It was just being out in a world you’ve never been to before and absorbing everything that was around. It was realizing that there’s more to life than what you originally thought. That trip opened my eyes, mind, and heart to things I wouldn’t have ever imagined and has helped shape me to the person I am today.
As the saying goes, “Everything happens for a reason.” I never expected to be elsewhere than in the states for the holidays with my family and friends. But I’ve realized that this trip, and whatever else has happened and WILL happen in the coming years, had/will do so for reasons I don’t quite understand at the moment. It’s time to take a deep breath, hit the reset switch, and start over. Not from the beginning again, but from another state of mind. One that I haven’t been in for quite some time.
I’ve lost faith and even forgot how much good is in this world. Things have been jaded and just not what I want them to be. I know this isn’t the most merry of posts, especially around this time of the year. For that, I apologize. So let’s turn a frown into a smile :). First and foremost, it has been an amazing year, one that I’ll look back for a long time and be thrilled about. I just want to thank those individuals (clients, family, friends, and even complete strangers that I’ve encountered), for being a part of my 2010.
To every single couple that has trusted me or will trust me to document their big day, I can’t thank you enough. And the ones that took some time out of their busy schedule to stay connected, thank you so much, you guys know who you are :). You’ve all inspired me to be that happy, and be that excited, and to live life to the fullest. I’ve always tell myself that the reason I do photography/study light is because it’s the closest thing to love I’ll ever understand. But getting to know you and experiencing your day has allowed me to get that much closer to the four letter word.
To every wedding vendor, especially the photographer friends, and you guys know who you are. Thank you for helping me and allowing me to share with you whatever knowledge I know. Whether it was second shooting, assisting, bumping into each other at the wedding, chatting over coffee, just a friendly e-mail/Tweet/Facebook message, I couldn’t ask for a better group of people to grow our respective businesses with. I seriously CAN’T WAIT to see and work with you again next year.
To my high school/college/NBA/past co-worker friends, thank you for always being there and simply being awesome. Although we might not see each other for weeks and even months, we’re always one phone call or text message away from. I’ll definitely see you guys again very soon.
Last and certainly the most important thank you…to my family: my mom, dad, and sister. You guys are the true rock in my life. Your words and actions mean more to me than anything else. Thank you for letting me grow up and do this crazy thing called wedding photography, for always being there for me no matter what, and truly being the biggest fans in my life.
With that being said, I better get the heck out of here! I wish you all a Merry, Merry Christmas and a (early) Happy New Year. Be safe, love and be loved, be happy, say please and thank you, appreciate what you have and work hard for what you don’t, end every sentence with a smile, and have a heart that will warm this cold Winter. Many blessings to you all.
- Henry
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