Double Happiness from Red Rock Canyon

A Chinese Tourist I met while hiking Red Rock Canyon near Las Vegas.
Believe it or not, I am shy.  Or, at least I was.  As a young person I made my way through life by hiding in the shadows.  The combination of being small, odd, and socially awkward painted a bulls eye on my back so large that I am sure the Apollo 11 astronauts commented on it on their way back home after the moon landing.  I can just imagine it; "Houston, there appears to be a large red and white circular area somewhere in southern Ontario, over." 

My shyness was a two edged sword, as so many things tend to be.  It was a good news/bad news thing.  The good news was that it allowed me to find my passion for animals and the wilds; the bad news was I was nominated for hermit of the year award.  It was like that all the way through the school system until my second year of college.  There I met some amazing people who saw value in me as a person and the target became invisible.  Suddenly, I was important.

It was then that my passion for photography began in earnest.  After graduating with a degree in science I took work in the field of photography - sales.  There is nothing like being forced to greet the public and render service to them based upon their wants and needs to bring one out of their shell.  I worked for a dozen companies all over Alberta and became very comfortable with talking to strangers as if they were friends.  Five years later I was married and began my teaching career.

If sales was my introduction to affability and gregariousness, then teaching was the final exam.  There I learned to talk to everyone, anyone.  While traveling I have learned to use those now honed skills to meet others and, on occasion, to photograph them.  Such was the case for the young lady in the above photo.  I met a group of young Asians and ended up getting quite a few shots of them posing.  I later emailed the processed images to them, very much like the one shown.

I can say with complete confidence that, without the help I have had over the years, I could not have availed myself of such an opportunity.  To all those who made me who I am today, thanks.  You know who you are.

Thanks for reading.   www.ericspix.com   Eric Svendsen


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