Thanks to Kim (on the left), I am a published book author. And therein lies a tale.
Kim was at a summer youth camp at Park of the Pines in northern Michigan and I was on the staff. The pivotal day in question was Thursday, July 22, 1999. That afternoon right before supper, she asked me to race her to the dining hall. At more than twice her age, it didn’t make sense to me so I said no. She asked again and I said no again. When she asked a third time I said yes. If it was that important to her, I would do it, no matter how foolish I looked.
I knew I wasn’t going to win the race, but I did my best and I was actually doing pretty well when my foot caught in an exposed tree root and I went down. Hard. On a boulder. The pain in my chest was the worst pain of my life.
They took me to the nearest hospital for X-rays. Four broken ribs. The broken ribs were free floating. They weren’t even touching the rest of the rib cage so I ended up with the nickname “Short Ribs” for a while. I still have the X-rays.
At the end of camp on Saturday, driving four hours home was an issue. Driving or riding in a car hurt. In fact just about anything physical was an issue. So many normal things I usually do caused me pain.
For a few weeks my doctor would not allow me to drive more than 15 minutes from my home. Then 30 minutes. Then 45 minutes. Much of my job involved travel to locations an hour or more from home, so for several weeks I was seriously limited in where I could go and what I could do. I had a lot more time on my hands than usual.
For several years I had been teaching photography at the Kalamazoo Institute of Arts and my students had been bugging me to put up a web site. Now I finally had time to do that. I put up a lot of informational articles in the “Learn” section, including several articles on exposure and metering.
Several years later an email arrived in my inbox from Barb Doyen, a respected literary agent. She had found my web site and the exposure articles. She was looking for an author who could write a book on exposure. Another author had started the book and backed out so she needed someone right away. She asked if I was interested. I was.
Before a contract was offered I had to write an outline for the whole book and one complete chapter. I did and they (Wiley Publishing) liked what I wrote. They offered me a contract to write a book for the well known Dummies series.
Digital Photography Exposure for Dummies
Four months of feverish writing, editing, and photo selections followed. Then the final revisions and decisions about final page layouts and the book went to press. It was an exciting day when I got my first copies in the mail and the book showed up at Amazon and in book stores.
Photography workshop field trip, OSU’s Gibraltar Island.
The book led to an unexpected and happy surprise in my life. The Ohio State University was looking for a person to lead or co-lead photography workshops at Stone Laboratory on Gibraltar Island. I was recommended but I did not have a degree in photography. I would have been turned down but it was my photography book made the difference. I was offered the position and I co-led photography workshops with Jeremy Bruskotter at Stone Lab. I was asked to lead photography workshops at OSU’s Mansfield Ohio campus so I did that too.
Field trip, photography workshop, lightning over Lake Michigan.
I still go back to Park of the Pines in the summer, but instead of doing youth camps I am there to lead photography workshops. And when I do, I think back to that foot race.
Jim and Kim at Park of the Pines, Michigan
Several years I was doing a photo workshop at Park of the Pines and Kim walked in the door. Without my knowledge, the workshop manager and Kim cooked that up. It was a very special surprise!
No race, no broken ribs. No broken ribs, no web site. No web site, no book. No book, no photo workshops for OSU. Kim felt bad for a long time about my broken ribs. But since it turned into a book contract, and one of the most highly rated photography books at Amazon, I think she has mostly gotten over her sense of guilt for challenging me to a foot race.
Thanks, Kim!
Originally posted February 7, 2020. Revised and updated October 24, 2024.
Links
Digital Photography Exposure for Dummies at Amazon
All about Digital Photography Exposure for Dummies
Park of the Pines on beautiful Lake Charlevoix near Boyne City Michigan
Series Link
People and Events That Changed Me As A Photographer