Life Means Live, So Live It!

As I sit here trying to come up with something clever to write, I think of my friend Charles who is loosing his battle with Lymphoma.  Charles is not that much older than I am and I just heard for the first time that he had been in the hospital on life support and that his family had decided that it was in his best interest to take him off and that he might not be on this earth for that much longer.

In fact, as I sit here writing this, I just received a call letting me know that he has passed on.

Not only did I not know he was in the hospital but I didn’t even know he was battling such a serious condition.  Whenever I would see him out and about he always had the biggest smile you could even imagine and I never heard him complain of one single thing, ever.  He was enjoying the moment, each and every one of them.

“Live your life open, honest and with no regret! Life means live so live it, love with out conditions, laugh out loud alot. Give someone a hug when they least expect it. and remember to smile and mean it. Just live. CHBII”  That was the way he lived his life.  He truly lived it.

To this day, I don’t understand why such great people are taken at such a young age, when they are just beginning to really live and find out who they are and what their potential could be.  I just can not grasp the fact that one day your here and the next you are gone but what I am learning is that we are not promised tomorrow and to make each day the best you can make it.  But I still just don’t understand.

I don’t know what else to say, but I will have a Martini for Charles tonight and toast one to him.  Heres to you Charles, you are a great man and I will take a little piece of your life lessons along with me, to live life to its fullest, no matter what!  Goodbye my friend!

A day in the life or a week in the life of Donny T

This week I have to say has been difficult.  Dont know why, I should be excited that Stephanie and I are shooting a resort for three days, which not only means we get to take some amazing photos of this amazing resort but we get to grow and learn.   I should be excited because our to do board is full, we have big projects that are coming up that will make both our lives just a bit easier financially.  I should be excited to do the one thing that i love to do most in the world with one of the most important people in my life, Stephanie,  and that’s photography, but this week has just been one of those weeks where I couldn’t get out of my own head.

I watched the movie Life As a House and if anyone has seen it, it’s about a young boy estranged from his father, they build not only a house but a relationship, and then the father is diagnosed with cancer so the young boy who just found how great his father is has to suffer the loss off is dad.  Some how this movie has stayed with me and effected me this entire week.  I don’t want to dwell on my father’s death, its been several months now as my family is putting life back together but unless you have experienced great loss like this you can’t really understand it.  We, I should actually speak for myself, are taking one step forward and 10 steps back.  There are so many triggers that set off this barrage of emotions that once they begin you just have to hang on and ride the wave.  But my questions is, does the wave ever end, I don’t think it will.  If you knew my dad, really knew him the energy that he had been undeniable, he use to say, ” if I we any happier I couldn’t stand it”, I wish i could find that happiness that he had, it was real and almost touchable.  I fear that i will forget the sounds of his voice, laugh, the smell of  him after he came off the dock after a day of crabbing.  His coffee in the morning, his shrimping at night.  But I feel comforted to know that he is one man who no one will ever forget.

I’m not sure many people know this  but the moment i found out that Dad had passed I was in Cebu City, Philipines at the governors palace watching an amazing celebration.  There must have been 110 or so dancers, singers, entertainers so in my mind and this is how I make it tolerable, my dad left this world where there was a great celebration of life going on, and i had the honor being at it.  Whether dad knew it or not there was love and energy in that room and i think I was there for a reason to experience that.  To help me to remember to celebrate his life, because that is exactly what he would have wanted.  Thats just not so easy to do.  

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The photos from the event in the Philippines is what my memory will always be.  My dad celebrated every day of his life. He loved his wife, his kids, his mother and father, sister and brother, not to mention all of his nieces and nephews.  He loved everyone.  From the lunch ladies at FLETC to the head of the entire center, he loved them and they loved him.  I never knew how much one man could love so many, but he did, and I try to live and learn from that.

I have a picture of my dad sitting over my computer that I took of him that I think is him at his happiest, he is sitting on the back of a boat in Cabo San Lucas with a fishing pole in hand just staring out over the horizon, and i knew the moment I took that picture, that he was there with his two sons, me and Patrick, doing the thing he loved best, fishing, and there was no other place he wanted to be at that very moment.  I miss him every day and I wish i could have one last fishing trip with him, but I know he is here with me, and mom and Patrick, he is here in our hearts and forever will be.

To my dad, I love you and thank you for everything I never thanked you for, and thank you for making me the man I am today.  I hope you are up there with Miss Grace and Mister Harry, Nanny, Papa, Granny Joyce and Papa Don, Julies Parents just having a ball..  In my mind, thats how I picture it.  And we are going to make to make it,  we dont have it figured out entirely yet but we are doing it the Thompson way, just like you taught us for many years.  I love you dad and tell everyone up there we love them too!

Photographing the Heymann Family

One of the greatest things about my job is that I am allowed to capture moments in different people lives.  I had the great opportunity to shoot the Heymann family a few weeks ago.  Stephanie and I scouted out locations in downtown phoenix.  We wanted something urban and cool.  What i was surprised to see all around downtown phoenix in the art district, most of the building have been painted with amazing murals.  So we found our place and started shooting.  Here are some of the images that we were able to capture.

Photographing Michael Becker

If anyone knows Michael Becker, than they know a good time.  He might be one of the most amazing people I know with his endless energy and spirit.  When he is around you cant help but be in a good mood.  He let Stephanie and I photograph him for the Dirty Pretty project that we are working on but we also did a separate shoot for him, heres just a sneak peak.  I think what makes a great photograph is the willingness of the model being photographed to be open and trusting that the photographers have good intentions.  So thank you Michael Becker!

Putting It Out There, Surrendering

You know its funny people say that when you surrender and give in to your faith and ask for what you want, things begin to happen.  Stephanie and I had a stressful day yesterday but last night i asked for guidance and help and we together made and very good decision today that i think will only propel Thompson Image leaps and bounds.  My attitude was good she was elated and relieved and things just worked.  We also booked several new clients today which we are very excited about.  There are lots of projects and opportunities out there just waiting for us to get them, so we are on a path to find them and make the most out of each day. 

We have found an amazing option for our clients that will allow them to not only select the image they want, have it printed on amazing quality paper or canvas and now we offer a wide variety of framing and matting options, just by the click of a button.  The quality is amazing and we are super excited to offer this to our new and old customers.

I just received some of the prints on canvas collection that i have been working on and they are all turning out amazing.  I think we have paired ourselves with some really great production companies that know what they are doing and do it very well.  We are poised for greatness and I can feel it happening.  Sure there are going to be bumps along the way but we are learning and growing from each of them, we did today and the result has changed how we do business here at Thompson Image.

Life is to short after all so why not.    So that’s it for tonight.  Today was a good day, and tomorrow I can only hope will be even better.  Life is like a box of chocolates, you never know what your gonna get, but if you put your mind to it and focus and ask for what you want, you just might get the best piece of chocolate in the box!

Days Go By and The World Keeps Turnin

I sit here tonight listening to the wind blow at set of wind chimes that my grandmother had hanging on her front porch for years.  After she passed its really the one thing that I wanted to help keep her near me.  So the wind is blowing and the chimes are singing.  She always use to tell me that when the wind chimes chimed, good change is blowing in.  I could sure need some of that right now.  I think alot of people could so Granny Joyce, if you are up there looking down on us tonight, send some of that good change to my family and friends. 

Its been a while since I have blogged.   I feel lately like I am beginning to get back on track but many times its one step forward and ten steps back.   Over the past 5 years I have had tremendous loss in my life of very important people, Im not sure how people go on but somehow they, we, do.  I dont want this blog to be always sad or down but this is what I am feeling and I made a deal with myself to put it out there and maybe someone connects with it and it helps them in some way. 

My family is still suffereing from the devastating loss of my father,  i know people loose their father every day and I am amazed how they continue to function.  To be honest it has been tough, I have suffered, my business has suffered but more important than anything my family has suffered.  We all say we are doing OK but thats just what we do, we are from the south, its all ok, but deep down when the sun sets and no one is around and the wind chimes are blowing, its not ok.  Its horrible, sad, depressing and infuriating all rolled into one emotion.  My friend is dealing with the anniversary of the loss of both of her parents, i dont  know how to even imagine, loosing one has almost killed the hope and spirit of ours. 

Over Christmas just after making it through the first christmas with out my father, my grandmother passes away on christmas day.  She loved Christmas though so what better way to go than on the birth of our lord, and she loved the lord.  So we, me, my family are grieving so many different emotions and each of us are doing it in so many different ways.  I worry about my mother the most.  She is strong, but this has broken her, I can hear it in her voice, i worry about my brother, my father was his best friend, i have never seen a father son relationhip like theirs, i always envied it, but new that it was theirs to share.  My brother is married to an amazing woman who has an amazing family that I dont know what we could have done without them.  I am worried for all of us. 

Time heals all wounds, well lord i am putting this out there, we need some time to heal these wounds, they run deep and they are raw, watch over us and walk with us.  Be with mom when the sun sets at that amazing house dad built for them, let her begin to enjoy it the way he wanted her to.  She is so special but you and everyone who knows her, knows that.  Watch over my brother, he is hurt deeply, he holds his emotions in like i do but i know they are there and today feels like the day after dads death, its still just as unreal.  Watch over me as I try to navigate through this life, help me regain focus, dad always wanted us to go for our dreams.

dreams and hope and faith, thats what im going on, but i need some help.  Lord just watch over us, keep us, and be with us, help us heal and begin to live again.

Photographing the childresn of St Dominic Savio Academy

St. Dominic Savio Academy is committed to educating children with autism spectrum and related disorders utilizing the research-based methodology of applied behavior analysis. St. Dominic Savio Academy believes that every child, regardless of ability, has the right to an individualized and effective education in a setting where their dignity is upheld, and their unique strengths and interests are encouraged. SDSA is committed to honoring the dignity and particular strengths of each child while teaching skills that promote meaningful and lasting change for children and their families.

I had the honor of photographing these amazing children along with the teachers that have devoted their life to teaching these children.  It was an experience I will hold very close to my heart.