I needed something to set myself apart in high school. I have already mentioned that I had long hair, and eventually I had a beard to go along with the look. But that only went so far. I had an interest in photography, and I knew the yearbook people were seeking photographers. I was in.
Photography soon developed (no pun intended) as a way for me to meet women, or to have something to say to others I knew, but had not spoken to yet. What better way to meet someone than to sneak up on them with a camera, quickly get a shot off, and then explain that the picture might end up in the yearbook. Plus, that camera that was a fixture around my neck for three years of high school was my ticket to be accepted by almost every group on campus. No matter how out there a group was, everyone was interested in getting their picture in the yearbook.
One example of how this worked to meet women was how it helped me finally get the nerve to approach Meredith. She was a totally gorgeous blond. She had been in student government in junior high, was on the high school tennis team. There were a couple of problems. She was someone I thought was totally out of my league, and I think she had a boyfriend already. Of course she did. All gorgeous women were already taken. I have learned since then, that this is not always true. But, I assumed it to be true then.
Anyway, one afternoon, I noticed her standing talking to someone I knew would not let on that I was coming up behind her. I positioned myself, framed the shot, focused on the back of her head, and then made some sort of noise so she would turn around. As she turned, I waited a brief second for the surprise to register on her face and then clicked. It was a perfect candid shot, something that I excelled in, and something that had not been done much in previous yearbooks that I had seen. Most shots had usually been posed, or if candid, you could tell the person realized what was going on when the shot was taken. This one was just that moment of recognition captured with the sun highlighting her hair. If I had had a flash, it would have been better technically, but we did not have a budget to be absolutely perfect. I made sure the printing was as flawless as possible, and my editor loved the shot. It got in easily.
Of course, when the yearbooks were published, I sought her out to have her sign it. By then, while we were not close friends, at least I knew she was aware of me, and we talked a few times here and there. I may even have asked her to sign the book if the picture had not made the cut. Of course, she signed around the picture. And every year after that, I also asked her to sign. Sometimes, she would sign a picture of her that someone else might have taken. If there was no picture, she might sign a picture of me. Later I would look back at the things she wrote, and I wonder about that boyfriend I thought she had back then. Maybe it would not have worked for us, but there was an interest then that I did not see until much later. It makes a nice memory now, but I still wonder how many opportunities I let go by because I was not confident enough to act.
Memory is the Key 