I’m such a lousy card player. I was running two pair, king high, and Kelby comes back at me with a full house and there goes Brad. Damn. It was worth calling, though, cause Scott had wagered RC Concepcion.
Me and RC hanging together wouldn’t have worked, though, cause both of our businesses would go straight down the tubes. We’d be playing with da baby too much. The beautiful Sabine is almost 2 months already.
We’d be like, wake the baby, wake the baby! Our long suffering wives would just roll their eyes. Annie and I are so happy for RC and Jen. A beautiful baby girl that Jen can put in pointe shoes real soon, and RC can buy pretty dresses and remote controlled monster trucks.
That’s what I was doing with my first, Caitlin. Kept bringing home Tonka toys, oversize cowboy hats and robots and stuff. My ex would just shake her head. “She’s a girl, in case you hadn’t noticed.”
I’m really happy for Brad, cause the NAPP gang is a great group of folks and he’ll have fun and his already considerable skills will grow enormously.
Have to admit I threw him in the deep end from the get go. He blogged about his first outing with the Coast Guard, trying to boom a SB unit out over the waves while I’m in the water with a couple of Coastie rescue swimmers. I kept asking those guys, “Hey, you guys okay? Everything alright?” which is a constant reflex action with my subjects, cause I always want them to feel good and be comfortable.
Then I realized how stupid that was cause these guys are waterborne supermen and the only one who was gonna drown out there was the idiot with the D2XS. Not exactly a flotation device.
Cool thing about that night was that my good friend Tom Sperduto was out there with us. Tom is a helluva shooter and a photo whirlwind, and he got this.
I’m bobbing around in the drink and Tom was shooting from a Coast Guard rescue boat. This frame will be the cover of a book set for release next year called Rescue Warriors.
From the Atlantic Ocean, we embarked on a three week road trip that brought us through DC, So. Carolina, Ohio, Arizona, Washington, Texas, Georgia and finally, Mexico. Along the way, Brad tried to get on a plane with 3 knives in the Moose pack which drew great attention from those folks in the TSA, lost his passport, lost his wallet (in Mexico), and, in trying to search for the wallet, stood up under a tractor trailer and creased his forehead to the tune of about 12 or so stitches.
Ohio, making like Greg Odon…….
In Georgia, making like a mad scientist….
Then off to Mexico for the Baja….
I got a rap on my hotel door about midnight. “Brad’s in the hospital!”
I go into the emergency room and had one of those Something About Mary moments, you know the frank and beans scene, where everybody’s trying to take a look and be sorta helpful? I thought, okay, can’t be that bad, and I looked over the surgeon’s shoulder.
“Holy shit!” There was Brad’s cranium. Dang! He really nailed himself.
I felt bad, but not that bad, cause the road is a tough task master, and I hadda get up around 4 that morning and get ready to cover the Baja 1000, which is well and truly one of the most miserably difficult things you might ever want to shoot. I’ve always told my assistants that if they falter, flag, or bog down, I’ll leave ’em by the side of the road. “Better you die now than we both die later,” is the rationale I offer. I say this with the most engaging of smiles. They think I’m kidding.
As you might imagine, I was pretty much outta patience with my young jedi, so much so that if the doc had offered me a DNR form I just mighta signed it, right there and then. (“Yeah, doc, just put him down. I know this is what he’d want…..”)
Glad I didn’t, though, cause Brad developed into a terrific studio and road assistant who can work the computer as well as a D3. He’ll be missed around here. Nigel’s favorite spot in the house was down in Brad’s room, by the glass doors to the backyard, where there’s a stone wall that’s like an apartment complex for chipmunks. Nigel spent hours down there, staring at these little guys, probably writing a recipe book in his head. Nigel watching chipmunks is like me watching Monty Python. Just can’t do it enough.
So Annie, Nigel, Lynn and I will miss him. (So will Ari. Have to mention Ari, or Annie will get upset with me. Nigel and Ari are both her boys, and she loves them equally, whereas I am quite obvious about liking Nigel better. Nigel is just a big lug with a enormous heart and a dog like capacity for companionship and affection. Ari is very cat like. Kind of pissy and standoffish. Plus I’m convinced he’s got gender issues, which makes him even more difficult.)
Another page turns in the adventure book. He’s bound for Tampa this weekend, and starts with Scott, who, being the teacher and friend that he is, will open doors for Brad that I can’t even find the keys for.
Via con Dios, my well traveled friend. Just the beginning of another kind of road trip. It’s already a long way from Jackson, Tennessee. More tk.
;
Your posts always make me laugh[:
I call the asisstant spot after I graduate! You could probably have 2 more before then[:
Ok – I get the So Cal assistant spot and I don’t even have to graduate. In fact, I can by the beers!
Hey Joe,
As always another great post from the master 🙂
Although Brad is on to new horizons, don’t underestimate the incredible influence you were on this guy! I envy the next victim…..I mean assistant!
Michael S.
Well, gee. You can’t let him leave until he finishes “The Road Trip from Hades” story on his blog. He’s just about to go to Mexico in the story. We’ve been waiting to read the rest…
Joe, I was reading Brad good bye, then Scott welcome in his blog, now your post, what a joy to read, doing what you love and, having fun and friendship all at the same time, you guys are wonderful……..
Lucky Brad with both you AND Scott as mentors. Where will he end up at the end? The new photo superguru with excellent skills what so ever? Wow!
Se you in Stockholm AND Copenhagen next week!
Joe,
Just on the wild chance that you ever happen to make it to Jackson, TN please be sure to email me. I’d clear my schedule to meet you ( that sounded like a proposition didn’t it?).
Bottom right photo, where the rally car is about to land is that a suicidal D2x?
Very funny post as always
Rich
I often wonderd where the “not so typical american humor” came to your posts and videos. Monty Python explains a lot!
I’m calling the assistant spot in the year 2014 after I graduate
What. No photos of Brad’s open skull?
Piss off hes not the messiah!…
I amazed to find another MP fan, I even have a set of cocnuts in my camera bag just in case.
Thanks, Joe, for all the kind words :). I’m in my new digs down here in sunny (sometimes rainy) Tampa, got cable and internet hooked up within an hour of arriving (gotta take care of the essentials, right?), got furniture on order, and working on getting unpacked today.
For those wondering about the status of my blog… Hopefully you can understand that blogging has been the least of my worries over the past few months, with all my other responsibilities and trying to get everything in order to hand over to Drew upon his arrival, as well as training him as best I could. Now that I’m in Tampa, I’ve gotta see what all Scott has in store for me before I set any sort of goals for blogging.
I will get around to finishing the Mexico story, I promise, complete with a picture of the aftermath of my head wound (it’s only a flesh wound!).
Thanks again to everyone for all your kind words and support! Now, I must go unpack and help new-daddy RC lift a few heavy things so we can get back to playing with da baby 😉
I met Brad for the first time this past March at the Moab shoot. I have to say, I was thinking that job was pretty cool, taggin along behind Joe. The info this guy must be warehousing. I hope you can find half the adventures with Scoot that you had with Joe. Good luck with NAPP!
Joe & Brad, your images are so full of epic win it blows my mind. You truly are masters of the craft and I could only dream of some day crossing paths…
=Matt=
brad is awesome!
Joe!
I have always been an available light candid portrait guy, which is to say… a total pussy.
You have opened my eyes to a Brazilian things this last few months, without ever meeting me. You and Kelby training are INCREDIBLE. And, though a Canon shooter, you have my toes over the ledge of the ESB for Nikon and the D3 SB800 monstrosity.
Please stop making that gear look cool. Really. Yer killing me… and my $15,000 worth of 5Ds and L Lenses.
And thanks for The Moment It Clicks. I’m lighting everything now.
John
See ya later brad. Ya monster truck games lover.
Too funny in the hospital! (Sorry Brad) All I could think of was, “Looks like we’re gonna need another Timmy”. Hilarious Joe.
Sincere thanks for the good Post You can find A link Back from my site Thanks.