Andrew Niesen

Dear Gary and Missy,

What can we say? You guys are just plain awesome. You're humble. You're sincere. You're real.

We laughed with you. We shared funny stories about mutual friends. And to top it all off, you invested in us. You mentored us.

We believe the most important business principle is to love people without any expectations. When we don’t expect anything in return, we understand what it means to love unconditionally. And when we understand what it means to love unconditionally, we discover the true meaning of community.

Thank you both for exemplifying this principle. You shared your lives and experiences with us. We feel blessed to know you, and we look forward to many more evenings of laughter and shared ideas!

Rachel at the Leonard Freed exhibit at New York's Leica Gallery.

We're in New York for a few days, meeting with friends and colleagues. Last night, we were hanging out with our colleagues at Leica Camera. Their superlative service and commitment to photojournalism have always encouraged and inspired us, plus their cameras are so quiet we're practically invisible while shooting. They are hosting an exhibit for the late Leonard Freed, one of our favorite photographers. Freed's work from the Civil Rights movement is incredible and he was the youngest photographer selected for the seminal exhibition and book, 'The Concerned Photographer' in 1967.

Tonight, we're having dinner with Gary and Missy at a great sushi place. Look for more photos of our NY trip soon!
I love the energy of the city, so it will be hard to leave tomorrow. But we're looking forward to seeing many of you in Chicago next week at Pictage PartnerCon!

To watch a larger version of this video, click here.

For the past two installments of LaCour's Business of Storytelling workshop, Mark and I have had the giddy pleasure of dressing up in our wedding clothes (from our wedding just last August) and acting as "models" for the ballroom lighting demonstration. For our most recent workshop in April, our friends Paul and Holley Jackson of Four Seasons Films filmed parts of the workshop for us. They surprised us last week by sending us a clip of Mark and me dancing for our workshop participants' cameras. Paul and Holley do such beautiful work. It was fun knowing what it would feel like to be one of their brides. Mark and I got goosebumps watching their film! For any brides or photographers interested in seeing Four Seasons Films' work, go to their website and click on Galleries to view trailers from recent wedding films.

"The details are not details. They make the product."

My favorite design catalog arrived today. I always look forward to seeing incredible furniture and lighting, from mid-century classics like Isamu Noguchi's sculptural coffee table to contemporary show stoppers like Marcel Wanders whimsical Zeppelin S1 lamp. When I opened the catalog to find this great quote from designer Charles Eames, I knew I would have to save it! I think "sweating the details" is what separates great artists from good artists.


PS: I'm adding a new label for my posts..."Rachel's Random Ramblings!"

...And here is the rest of the story.

After Annette Biggers of Triplecord told us her amazing story of photographing this wedding in Uganda and running into the man to whom she anonymously donated an old camera two years ago (see previous blog entry), she explained that she was so moved by seeing how her camera had helped him that she planned to start her own project to send used cameras to Africa. It was just an idea that she had not yet had time to develop.

Well, on the last day of our workshop, April 12, Annette and another workshop participant, Veronica King were strolling around some shops near where our workshop was held, and they noticed a large group of people gathered in one area. So they went over to check it out. It was a team from Microsoft looking to interview people who are trying to start a new business. Annette looked at Veronica and said, "You want to start a business together?"

At that moment, they decided to create Photographers for Africa, a nonprofit that will send used cameras to Africa. Everything happened very quickly. They went up to a suite that was set up with cameras, lights and sound booms, and officials from Microsoft interviewed them for a segment that will be broadcast on Microsoft's website in May. Microsoft is also providing them with a free website to host Photographers for Africa.

It's a very new venture, and the website development is still under way, but Annette says they are accepting cameras now. Annette has several connections in Uganda and Kenya, with whom she is in talks for receiving and distributing the cameras. Contact Annette through either website linked above to find out how to send your old cameras to her. Africans are still using primarily film cameras, so look around and see what's hiding in the back of your closets. Your old cameras could give those less fortunate a way to support themselves and their families.

"That is the obstacle they have right now," Annette says. "They simply don't have the money to buy equipment to start their own businesses. There are little things we can do here that totally change people's lives."

It's amazing how these little happenstance moments throughout our lives can lead us to this one big place where our mission becomes clear. All the markers seem to line up and point us in the direction we're supposed to go. And in such a positive and supportive industry as ours, there are usually thousands of others eager to help us get there. Thank you for reading Annette's story. Please pass it to on to others so we can work together to change lives.