Guess Who’s Kodak’s Photographer to Watch for 2011? This Girl Right Here!

Yowzers!  Christmas came early this year when I received a call from Joe Paglia, Sr. Marketing Communications Manager for the Eastman Kodak Company – yep, that’s right folks, KODAK!  He wanted to know if I would be interested in being Kodak’s Photographer to Watch for 2011!  Jeez Louise, would I!  Of course!  And how!  Where do I sign?

Then the terror set in.

I would have to speak.

In public.

In front of some of the best photographers in the country.

Gulp.

Let the panicking begin in earnest.

Joe began to tell me, in a very calm and supporting fashion, that it was nothing to worry about.  I would be just fine.  Besides, hadn’t we been speaking for 15-20 minutes already?  It wouldn’t be any different.  I think he should get a side career talking down jumpers.  For the moment, I thought, yes, it would be just like chatting with this lovely man on the phone.

I couldn’t share my terror with you then because mum was the word until after the award was announced at Imaging, the Professional Photographers Association’s convention, held this year in San Antonio, TX, January 16-18.  That was another bump in the road.

When Joe called before Christmas, I wasn’t just getting ready for the holidays.  I was in the middle of preparing for a three-week road trip extravaganza with my man.  We were leaving on 12/28 and coming home 1/20.  We would be on the road during the convention. I had to be there in person.  I told Joe I would find a way to make it work. 

Less than five minutes after telling my man that I won an award and needed to accept it in Texas, during our trip, we were on our computers renting a car, reserving hotel rooms, and booking a flight back home.  He didn’t even bat an eye.  If I won; we would be there. Decision made (have I ever mentioned how fantastic my husband is?)  We would rent a car from Minneapolis, drive to CO, NV, CA, AZ, NM, see loved ones, hike like hippies, and then we would continue our drive to Texas, where we would ditch the rental car and hop a one-way flight back to Minnesota.   Whew! 

Once our traveling logistics were all figured out, I had one more dilemma.  I needed prints to display at the awards banquet.  Really big, really beautiful prints.  I needed them fast, and I needed to figure out a way to get them to Texas.  Three weeks in a car with us would have been certain disaster.  Greg Carlock, from Northwest Professional Color, saved my heinie!  After I explained my situation, he not only offered to help me with the prints, he offered to help me choose the images, transport them to Texas, and hand them over to Kodak!  And he did all of those things!  He even called me to tell me when he handed them off!  Amaz-z-zing!

As we were driving, I’d write the speech.  Then I’d write it again.  And again.  What would I tell a room full of the country’s best photographers?  Well, the one thing I was sure they didn’t know about was me.  So when it came time to stand at the podium, I talked about me: why I left my “real” job for photography, why I’m addicted to weddings, how I came to be such a sappy mushbucket, and why I know I’ll always be working to be a better photographer.  The answer to all of these questions is because my couples deserve it. 

The name of my presentation was “Addicted to Weddings: Confessions of a Love Junkie.”  I think it fits me to a T. 

These were the images that were printed 20×30 and displayed at the Kodak’s Gallery Elite banquet at Imaging.