Taking Risks

I've always been in the middle of the road in terms of taking risks, leaning more towards the safe side.  Now, my 40's have introduced me first hand to the concept of "nothing ventured, nothing gained".

Leo F. Buscaglia said...  "The person who risks nothing, does nothing, has nothing, is nothing, and becomes nothing. He may avoid suffering and sorrow, but he simply cannot learn and feel and change and grow and love and live."

As EYE See It - About Passion...

Passion is the drive behind the things we do. It's the force within us that wakes us up in the morning and gives us a sense of purpose.  It's our reason for being.  And what's more beautiful than to follow your passion and do what you LOVE for a living?

My dear friend Dennis Cokley is a NYC school teacher.  He has a profound  dedication to children and the shaping of their minds and their futures.  He doesnt have children of his own (and what lucky children they would be if he did), but is absolutely surrounded by them 24 hours a day.  In addition to teaching within the New York City Public School system, he tutors for the better part of Saturdays AND is very involved in children's activities at his church on Sunday. 

I had the opportunity to spend some time with him during a tutoring session.  He worked with three boys of different ages and in different grades, and was attentive to each of them seemlessly.  As I observed him and the boys - their interaction and the way they responded to each other, the word that came to me was Passion.  I was moved to capture the moment - the respect the boys had for him and the love he has for them.  Every right answer to a question was a sense of accomplishment for Dennis and it showed.  I've known Dennis for close to 30 years, and I'm realizing more and more each day what a complex and amazing human being he really is!

Let passion be the guiding light in everything you do...

Library

I went to the Brooklyn Public Library - the big one at Grand Army Plaza - for the first time in a million years! I am now the proud owner of a library card. Just last week, I spend a whopping $120.00 on only 4 books from Barnes and Noble. Yesterday, I borrowed four really awesome books on photography as follows: 

• PhotoJournalism by Andy Steel
• Classic Essays on Photography by Alan Trachtenberg
• Icons of Photography by Presetel
• Committed to the Image - Contemporary Black Photographers from the Brooklyn Museum of Art

I feel a sense of accomplishment and stupidity at the same time... the former for taking out such great books, the latter for spending king's ransom just a few days prior...

If you dont have one already, do yourself a favor and get a library card!

Happy Shooting!