Randy & Melissa
Randy is one of the best. Only a couple other people have been named Newspaper and Magazine Photographer Of The Year. Only a few people have done as many assignments as Randy has for National Geographic Magazine - you know, the one with the yellow border.
© Randy Olson/OlsonFarlow.comAnd, lucky for me, Randy is one of my best friends. So I’ve gotten to look at his work for more than 20 years and offer suggestions for edits, for ways to improve stories, for the whole range of what a picture editor does. It’s just that Randy is my friend, and a photographer. And to boot, so is his wife, Melissa Farlow. Melissa and I worked on a story about the Hudson Valley when I was a picture editor at Geographic. Together, Randy and Melissa are a one-two punch of photographic talent. Go to olsonfarlow.com and see for yourself. Cococello designed their site, by the way, with a seamless integration to photoshelter.
This long term connection is a gift. I have come to learn things that I wouldn’t have without the connection: About how pictures are made, about how seeing evolves over time, about connecting with subjects, about how narratives are determined and executed, about how to build portfolios and sequence images. A lot.
So when my email popped up recently with a heading from Randy that said 2009 portfolio edit, it was like a friend stopping by for coffee. Randy always asks several people for feedback on portfolios, wisely. So I gave my two cents worth and thanked him for sharing.
Sharing is good. Having friends is, too.
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