Preface..
Finally, someone captures a great image
of me. I hate having my photo taken!6POSINGTECHNIQUESFORGLAMOURPHOTOGRAPHY
I
n my first two books for Amherst Media, the preface started out with,
“Creating a book is sometimes fun, sometimes hard, sometimes sad—
and sometimes you just want to quit.” Well that sentiment rings true for
this book, too (and I’m sure it will apply to my future books, as well).
After all, writing takes dedication that’s often interrupted by life. Not to
mention, writing is like photography or even writing a song; it’s an art, and
all artists work better when motivation strikes them.
I’ve always provided “thanks” to my family and friends in my books,
that hasn’t changed either. I’ve also always asked people not to forget the
men and women in uniform, along with their families and friends. This re-
quest to keep them in your prayers hasn’t changed either. If you see a mil-
itary veteran, please thank them for their service; without them, these
books would not be possible. Writers rely on freedom of speech and free-
dom of the press, and sometimes it takes a military to keep that going.
Everyone, please come home safe!
As I write this preface, which is more of a dedication page, I wondered
who I should dedicate this book to (while my previous books have the
above-noted similarities in the preface, they later break out to identify spe-
cific people who made unique contributions to each book). As I thought
and thought, my mind drifted. Do I thank my “best” friends? The answer
came back no; I’d surely offend someone who thought they were my best
friend. Do I thank my colleagues? Nope. This is an egotistical profession;
many take your thanks and then turn their backs (of course, there are true
friends, like my mentor Robert Farber and advisor Jesse Gámez). Like life,
photographic success is based on relationships that grow and change over
time. Some go sour, some succeed and turn sweetly ripe.
When I chose to write this book, knowing the long hours I’d have
to put in it, I didn’t do it because someone promised me a golden egg. I
didn’t do it because my mother told me to (in fact, she is not a fan of