We lost two giants this week: Fred Herzog and Robert Frank. I never met either of them personally, but both of these gentleman were hugely influential to me as a photographer. They passed away at the ages of 88 and 94, respectively, after long lives spent pursuing their artistic passions.
Inspirational indeed.
I was the guest on this week’s FujiCast podcast (episode 30), where I spoke to one half of the dynamic duo that host the show (Kevin Mullins and Neale James). We chatted about photography, my PTSD, and about how important the arts can be to a person who is suffering from something. Neale was a gracious host, an even better interviewer, and I think we covered a lot of ground during our short talk. Be sure to check it out:
https://www.fujicast.co.uk/?p=647
It feels like I am spending a lot of time talking about my journey these days, perhaps even as much as I spend working as a photographer. This wasn’t something that I intentionally set out to do, but I have had so many people reach out to let me know that my story helped them. That’s pretty much the best thing in the world.
The truth is that I have always tried to be a helper in one form or another… it is what I do and it is who I am. Mr Rogers once said:
“When I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me, ‘Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.’ To this day, especially in times of ‘disaster,’ I remember my mother’s words and I am always comforted by realizing that there are still so many helpers—so many caring people in this world.”
That was me for over 20 years on an ambulance, and for 25 years in the classroom. Helping others has been my life’s work and, even though I am not on an ambulance anymore, maybe this is just my little way of trying to help right now. There is actually a new project launching soon, related to this, that I am very excited to share with you in the coming month.
And to the both of you, Mr. Herzog and Mr. Frank, I thank you from the bottom of my heart for the art that you created and so generously shared with the world. We are all better for it.
Cheers,
Ian