In marketing, one of the principal rules, is to identify the product in the eyes of the market.

I am often introduced as a surf photographer. It is not that I eschew the title, which truly makes me die inside at the proffering of that description.  Someone inevitably must endeavor to communicate what indeed it is, that one shoots. I do shoot surfing. I love the ocean. Surfing professionally was something that I was proud to have done for a substantial portion of my life, as it kept me IN the sea daily. But that is not what I am. I am truly not a surf photographer.

So those who know me, found it not that big a surprise when I started shooting empty waves. It was a sociological reason to be in the water that could conceivably lead to something related to making a living. Yea right? Right. Huge long shot. Not likely to amount to a fiscally viable career.  Think about it. If someone stood before you, and held out an archaic plastic box, with a camera and one lens in it and said: “I am going to swim out to sea as often as I can, and in as many places as I am able, for X number of years and make a living, what would you say to that person? (Insert suggestions for medical and psychological care here)

But that is what I did. No one was doing wave work much at the time. Preiss was not. Woody was gone, Greenough was doing dolphins.  It seemed to make sense, in a  round about way to me. I love the water. Off I swam, clickety click, day after day, alone. I would rise in the wee hours, prep my lone camera and housing. Wander down to the beach. Pull on cold rubber in the dark, and as the eastern horizon began to brighten, swim out. Fun times. Enlightening.

Not too much later, I was in the offices of Corbis Images, Los Angeles, having taken a few months time, and organized some slide books and been accepted into that agency’s ranks. Corbis used to hold regular gatherings for its Photographers. We would be tutored in all things photography related by the best people in the business, surrounded by again, the best photographers in the business. People that shot all manner of styles and subjects.

At this particular gathering, the entire day was dedicated to creativity. As I sat in our second gathering of that morning, along with approximately 200 of the best shooters in the world, we listened to someone who today, would be doing what has come to be known as a TED talk. (here is a good one) Her subject was creativity.

One statement stood out for me as being the starting gun for my fledgeling career. She said: ” If there is any one thing that I could tell you to do that would guarantee your success, this is it: learn to image your emotions.” Those simple words hit me like phosphorescent, shining, drops of brilliance. My mind instantly expanded and I saw my potential.  And then she stopped.

Corbis VP at the time, Steve Davis, stood up. In essence, he said this (paraphrased). “You all can shoot any subject in the world, and Corbis will help you do it. Anything! But choose wisely, because what you engage, will become your life and what you will be known for. The room was silent. Two hundred of the world’s best, all got it.

In the ensuing years, I shot things that I had empathy for.

empathy |ˈempəθē|
noun
the ability to understand and share the feelings of another.

This week I turned in imagery for an agency in Europe. They had thought I was as surf photographer. The Art Director received approximately 500 images that comprised 30 different subjects. Ten of those were water related. One was surfing. Those 500 pieces are part of a 350,000 image library.

As I look across its ever increasing capture of bright moments, this is what I learned.

That I cared.

One must.

That is what I am:  someone who cares.