WHO IS BEHIND PHOTOGRAPHYFREE4ALL? Part 2

Here’s what we’ve learned from Part 1:

• I’m interested in vintage cameras
• I love to read
• I’m an optimist extraordinaire
• I have a flying experience yet to share
• I’m a runner

Can you remember how nervous you were on your first date?  There was an excitement mixed with a bit of anxiety?  You wondered where you might go but then realized, it didn’t really matter.  Because you understood, it wasn’t about the food – it was about being together.  When you discover that feeling, never let it go!

I say that because that’s the way I feel about photography, sometimes.  I spend a tremendous amount of time researching new places to photograph, when it’s really not about the places as much as just being out there with the camera.  The photograph below was taken a few steps from my office.  I didn’t have to research.  I didn’t need to plan.  It wasn’t about where I would go – it was all about going!  Many of you will remember this Iris, because I’ve posted it before.  It’s one of my favorite shots!

As you can easily see from my blog posts, I’m a person overflowing with stories. They’re mostly stories from my own personal life experiences.  My mother once said to me, “Son, you’ve lived a very interesting life.”  Wow!  That made me sound ancient!  You know, like all the best life events were behind me.  But that’s not what she meant at all.  She was talking about the interesting turns in my life.  Ah yes…the interesting turns in my life…

And that’s where we shall continue as we further reveal the person behind Photographyfree4all.

 

To the casual observer, this photo seems meaningless – mere office trinkets.  But as you’ve already learned, everything in my office tells a story…it’s a part of my life path.  And this is no different.

Growing up in a small mid-western town, there wasn’t many opportunities for air travel.  In the first place, it was very expensive.  And, most of the people from our family rarely ventured out of the state anyway.  So, there was really no need to fly.  However when I became the youngest person to ever hold an executive position with this particular national manufacturing firm, I found myself to be the first in my family (with the exception of my father who had served in the military) to experience flying!  And, oh what an experience it was!

I’ll never forget my first flight.  I was traveling to Decatur, Illinois to visit one of our manufacturing sites.  It seemed so strange to make this call: “Hello, Dave?  This is Steve.”  “Oh, Hi Steve.”  “Dave, I need to go to Decatur today.”  “When do you want to leave?”  “I need to leave in about an hour.”  “No problem.  I’ll have the plane fueled and ready.”

The company owned a very nice twin-engine Cessna that was at my disposal for most of my midwest business travel.  That plane became my office.  I regularly flew to Cedar Rapids, Iowa/Decatur, Illinois/Chicago, Illinois/Cincinnati, Ohio/Memphis, Tennessee/Oklahoma City, Oklahoma/and someplace in Missouri that I can’t even remember.  When I needed to travel to the east or west coast, I always flew commercial. 

That first flight to Decatur happens to be where I also received my first flight training.  It consisted of, “Hey Steve, would you like to fly this plane?”  “Uh, no!  I don’t think so!”  “No, really…”  The next 10 minutes were spent explaining some basic aeronautical functions, which led to this statement, “OK Steve, just follow that highway down below.”  To which I quickly replied, “Are you crazy?!”  But for the next 30 minutes, I was the pilot of that small craft hurtling through space! 

That was my life until 2 years later when that same small airplane with its pilot, the president of our company, one of our field supervisors, and myself, would find ourselves in an out of control free fall from 10,000 feet!  For what seemed to be forever, every briefcase, newspaper, book, and drink was glued to the ceiling of that aircraft due to the G-forces created by a plane in a death spin!  We had flown into the teeth of one of the largest, most powerful midwestern storms of that summer.  Struck by lightning and sent out of control by sudden wind shear, we seemed to have little hope.  But then just as we were seconds away from disaster, without human explanation the pilot was able to regain control and miraculously pull the plane out of that dive.  Similar to a senseless cartoon I’ve seen time and time again, our plane narrowly missed the ground as we were able to level off with less that 100 feet of altitude!  But, our instruments were dead.  And, we had no radio contact and no idea of our location or even more important, the location of the nearest airport.  With fuel and darkness both becoming increasingly crucial, we happened upon what looked to be a deserted black top road and set the plane down.  What was to me a great emergency landing (although extremely rough), was termed a crash landing by the FAA the next day.

We later discovered we were in southern Illinois – hundreds of miles from our predetermined course.

I was monumentally effected by the experience of that stormy night.  A few months after the accident, I left that position and moved to California.  It would be 5 years before I would fly again. 

That small airplane that sits on the bookcase to the left of my desk, serves as a reminder that I’ve overcome a fear that was born out of a near death experience on a rainy night somewhere in southern Illinois.

Though planning to continue on to another clue, I think that’s probably enough for today.  After all, I wouldn’t want to bore you to the point of no return.

So, I leave you to wonder about the photo below – the next in our Photographyfree4all revelation!

Thanks for stopping by.  Keep looking for the next installment.

What’s that?  What about the picture of the Eiffel Tower in today’s photo?  Hmmm…that’s a very good question.

🙂

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~ by photographyfree4all on November 17, 2010.