It’s always good to go back home again, and although I never called Alabama home, I can sense the appeal. The northern-state highway roads meander through dense forests and pops of small towns and then great, storied cities. There’s much to look at and then, at times, miles of forests and nothingness.
Driving through gives me vibes of North Carolina or central Virginia. It is at once peaceful and interesting. Exactly what we were looking forward to.
Our first destination has been Birmingham. Gary had a drone gig lined up to shoot some video and drone footage of the Birmingham Thunderbolts, a premier girl’s fast-pitch softball league. I was “employed” as his assistant.
I honestly didn’t know what to expect, other than for Gary to, in his ever-so-loving way, yell and be exasperated at me for leaving a lens cover on or shooting video of the girls’ feet. I was anticipating shooting him a rather annoyed side glance and storming off the field. But I was woefully wrong.
We were a great team, and he was a wonderful boss. He explained the process, the ins and outs of the camera and the angles of the sun and gave me some much-needed confidence. And, BTW, I didn’t screw up!
We spent two days, the first being a twelve-hour long day, taking video of the girls practicing and staging some great action shots. Besides the girls’ being incredibly talented and good at their sport, what impressed me most was the girls’ work ethic and sportsmanship. They thoroughly enjoyed their sport; they were very goal-oriented (college scholarships abound) and were amazing mentors to the younger players.
I am looking forward to seeing our work be edited and formatted into some great commercials and web-site content. Gary was equally impressed with my initiative and persuasive manner getting the girls to pose and create some nice impromptu candid shots. It must be all that teacher training, a mix of persuasiveness and “teen-speak”.
I am always impressed with my husband’s boundless talents and professionalism and was happy I could finally see him in action. He is a wonderful photographer, as you can see by his photo gallery on this site.
Of course, I promptly “quit” when we concluded the second day. Afterall, I am a retired woman now – none of this twelve-hour day shit! As my bonus, Gary took me out to eat a scrumptious, fancy dinner at an up-scale Italian restaurant in town.
The overall experience was very rewarding for both of us. My one lasting memory, however, will probably be the feeling of warm southern culture, namely, being called “ma’am” no less than fifty times a day. By everyone, young and old, male and female, regardless of whether they were agreeing with me or disagreeing or even questioning my words. For this Northern girl, it’s just so foreign. It’s good manners for sure, but the contrast to the rest of the country is profound. As a true New Yorker, I’m afraid I may have raised my sons and influenced my former students to call people you disagree with by a completely different moniker altogether. YIKES!