The year was 1995. I was a college sophomore interested in pursuing my passion for photography and telling stories. Taking the recommendation of my college advisor, Jim McNay, I had applied and been accepted to the prestigious Eddie Adams workshop. The memory that stands out most to me was showing up at “the farm” in New York, and very quickly realizing just how little I actually knew about photography—or anything! Watching presenters such as Eddie Adams, Gordon Parks, Joe McNally, Kathy Ryan and Maryanne Golon—seeing what they were doing, hearing the way they were thinking, and understanding what was possible—it was like a bomb had gone off in my brain.
My. Mind. Was. Blown.
It’s hard to believe that the 30th Anniversary of this workshop is taking place this weekend. And it’s an understatement to say that I’m honored to be returning as a team leader, 22 years after I first attended Eddie Adams. Back then, our team leader was Dirk Holstead, a multimedia visionary who carried around a tape deck to record sound to sync with his slideshows. Now we have DSLR cameras that record sound and 4K video! I was inspired by Dirk’s vision back then, and it has certainly inspired me to embrace new forms of technology and storytelling. I hope this is a message I can pass on to the 10 students who I’ll be working with on Team Pink alongside Karah Shaffer, our team producer, and Jesse Reiter, a photo editor of Golf magazine. I’m really looking forward to spending a few days with everyone in the Catskills. Psyched to make some cool pictures and share the inspiration!
The folks at Eddie Adams have created a really great 30 of 30 website that highlights 30 alumni, and I’m honored to be included on this page.
Thank you, Nikon for the years of support to keep this alive. This workshop has changed many people’s lives, including my own! #30of30 #NikonUSA #NikonLove
