PART 5 / PERSISTENCEWhen we were ready to do a final edit and paginate the
books, Tom was an incredibly active partner. He knew what he
wanted to say and he was once again functioning from the per-
spective that each image had to speak to his expectation of
excellence. He was ruthless, deleting images that months
before had been deemed keepers.
Our next job was to house the portfolios. Tom worked with
one of my bookmakers, Nicole Anderson, and together we built
red leather portfolios that are bold, elegant, and eye catching.
Clients were few and far between, and Tom’s daily income
would not financially support the completion of the books.
Committed to finishing the project in style, Tom decided to
invest in his portfolios, taking funds from his savings to finance
the project.
The result is a stunning portfolio that contains images that
are haunting, beautiful, strong, and full of voice. It was time to
take the books out.
Many photographers today are convinced that buyers won’t
see them; consequently, they use this to justify giving up before
they begin. Tom didn’t take that path.
Tom was determined to go back to New York, to see the few
photo editors that he had visited the previous year. Incredibly,
he chose the first three weeks in August to visit the Big Apple.
I was sure that he was setting an almost impossible goal for him-
self, as New Yorkers are known to love their Hampton weekends
in the summer. Many a shooter has complained that in the sum-
mertime New Yorkers end their week on Thursday and begin
again on Wednesday.
Tom planned a front-end contact campaign in which he
would call both existing prospects and new ones, and then
e-mail those he did not reach, in order to request an appoint-
ment. He reached only a handful of prospects before leaving
for New York City but ended up at the end of his trip having
shown his book to over thirty photo editors! His efforts were
fruitful as he received a few assignments upon his return. He is
currently following up his visits with the first of twelve pieces
that each viewer will receive this year.
Why am I so excited about this photographer? It’s a
no-brainer. Tom Johnson is the example that I would like to
hold up to every photographer who feels that it’s a hopelessChapter 28.qxd 6/25/07 7:26 AM Page 174