Just wanted to share about some very tough things going on recently...somewhat Leica related, but admittedly not really. But most of the relationships I have developed in these forums are specifically here in the Leica subforum, so I hope you'll let me slide just this one time...
Some of you may know (or maybe not) that I am a graduate student working on a Ph.D in molecular biology. The relationship between student and mentor is very unique in this setting - the mentor is much more than just a boss or supervisor. Perhaps it's the difficulties and struggles of the work and science that creates the unique bond. Most of these relationships end up lasting an entire lifetime, definitely deeper than just work or career level.
Last week, my mentor passed away due to injuries from a car accident. Her husband was driving them home from the airport in middle of the night, close to 1am. As they made a left turn into their gated community, a police car (responding to a call, but driving with no lights or sirens on) slammed straight into the passenger side of the car, where my mentor was sitting. We don't know exactly how fast the police car was going, but there were a few hints that indicated it was at an incredible speed, at least for the small neighborhood street they were driving on: 1) there were no signs of the police car breaking, and 2) from the estimated point of impact, the police car pushed their car 40 yards forward.
Well, you can imagine the pain and grief all of us are experiencing right now. However, I am deeply regretting a missed photo opportunity from just several weeks ago. Occasionally, I bring my M9 to the lab with me in case I have some extra time during lunch to walk around and shoot. One morning after our group meeting, I noticed the conference room had such beautiful light, and I wanted to ask my mentor if she wanted a photo there. The setting would have been perfect - beautiful light, conference room was decorated with shelves upon shelves of scientific journals, would have given it a very scholarly and classy look. But, I suddenly because just a bit shy and thought my mentor would have thought I was nuts (although she was one of the nicest people you'll ever meet, I have no clue why I became shy). So, I figured there would be another opportunity for me in the future and ask her again later.
And here we are today. I missed my opportunity. Not only did I miss the opportunity, but I'm imagining what a great contribution I could have given to our school, my co-workers, and most importantly, her family if I had taken the shot. I'm certain even if I didn't do a good job, her family would have cherished any recent photos of her. I am just kicking myself over and over because...well, isn't that why I purchased the M9 to begin with? To be able to carry around a high quality camera with me everywhere for any photo opportunity?
So, the reason why I am sharing this with all of you is so hopefully none of you will make the same mistake as me. Especially photos of those people who are close to your heart - don't hesitate, don't be shy, and just shoot away because you never know when is the next time you'll get a chance to, and what kind of impact your photo may have in the future.
Some of you may know (or maybe not) that I am a graduate student working on a Ph.D in molecular biology. The relationship between student and mentor is very unique in this setting - the mentor is much more than just a boss or supervisor. Perhaps it's the difficulties and struggles of the work and science that creates the unique bond. Most of these relationships end up lasting an entire lifetime, definitely deeper than just work or career level.
Last week, my mentor passed away due to injuries from a car accident. Her husband was driving them home from the airport in middle of the night, close to 1am. As they made a left turn into their gated community, a police car (responding to a call, but driving with no lights or sirens on) slammed straight into the passenger side of the car, where my mentor was sitting. We don't know exactly how fast the police car was going, but there were a few hints that indicated it was at an incredible speed, at least for the small neighborhood street they were driving on: 1) there were no signs of the police car breaking, and 2) from the estimated point of impact, the police car pushed their car 40 yards forward.
Well, you can imagine the pain and grief all of us are experiencing right now. However, I am deeply regretting a missed photo opportunity from just several weeks ago. Occasionally, I bring my M9 to the lab with me in case I have some extra time during lunch to walk around and shoot. One morning after our group meeting, I noticed the conference room had such beautiful light, and I wanted to ask my mentor if she wanted a photo there. The setting would have been perfect - beautiful light, conference room was decorated with shelves upon shelves of scientific journals, would have given it a very scholarly and classy look. But, I suddenly because just a bit shy and thought my mentor would have thought I was nuts (although she was one of the nicest people you'll ever meet, I have no clue why I became shy). So, I figured there would be another opportunity for me in the future and ask her again later.
And here we are today. I missed my opportunity. Not only did I miss the opportunity, but I'm imagining what a great contribution I could have given to our school, my co-workers, and most importantly, her family if I had taken the shot. I'm certain even if I didn't do a good job, her family would have cherished any recent photos of her. I am just kicking myself over and over because...well, isn't that why I purchased the M9 to begin with? To be able to carry around a high quality camera with me everywhere for any photo opportunity?
So, the reason why I am sharing this with all of you is so hopefully none of you will make the same mistake as me. Especially photos of those people who are close to your heart - don't hesitate, don't be shy, and just shoot away because you never know when is the next time you'll get a chance to, and what kind of impact your photo may have in the future.