I’m still struggling to process the fact that Cam passed away from cancer last month. He was my go-to photographer for more than a decade. He sang in Canterbury Choir at All Saints Pasadena, where I was on staff for many years. Cam’s work was legendary; it seems like EVERYONE at church had their picture taken by him at some point. Many of us will always remember how sweet and funny and utterly lovable he was.
I remember when he had just finished his photography studies and was transitioning from being a screenplay writer to professional photographer. He took my first headshots when I was sick (I didn’t know I was pregnant with my first child at the time). He drove me around, taking me on an adventure to find the perfect shooting location under various bridges and against random painted walls around the Silverlake and Mid-Wilshire areas of Los Angeles. Even though I felt totally crappy, he made me have fun and feel beautiful.
The second round of head shots came eight years later, when I was finishing my DMA degree and was in need of something a little more mature-looking. He took these on campus at USC. We just kinda crept around until he found the perfect spots. And as usual, he made it fun!
The last time I saw Cam about 5 years ago, he told me he had been diagnosed with cancer and was scaling back his work quite a bit. But he agreed to update my headshots for me. He drove out to where I teach in Studio City to take some of the best photos I’ve ever had.
Cam also took shots of the most beloved people in my life. He captured this amazing shot of my adorable husband.
My most memorable photo shoot with Cam was the one he did with my daughters at his cool studio in South Pasadena (he even loaned me his studio space to host my community choir for an awesome year-end choir party – Cam was so generous!) Anyway, my kids’ misbehaviour was peaking, and I was SO ready to strangle them! But Cam was so cool with them. He harnessed their “energy” and captured my very favorite photos of my childrens’ early childhood years.
Now, every day when I see Cam’s photos of my kids on my wall at home, I smile and think fondly of the precious soul that captured my precious babies: I loved Cam’s work so much. I loved Cam so much. I miss him. Rest well, sweet Cam.
Composition
With Juneteenth and Independence Day fresh in my mind, here’s a performance of my piece for treble choir, piano, and percussion called “No Fairy Tale Here” about the legacy of literary legend Ida B. Wells.
In light of the recent reversal of Roe v Wade, here’s a link to my composition “Lady in Blue”. No matter how you feel about the ethics or legality of abortion, the fact is that there is always a story, usually a painful one, that goes with it. I still love my country, even as I acknowledge our collective failure to care for one another.
Ollie’s Corner
