Never meet your heroes

More and more I come to realize that our heroes are just people. That person you look up to? They're just that... A person; a human-being. The difference between them and you? Hard freaking work. Hours, days, weeks, months and years of painstaking, back breaking work and at the end of the day, what is it all for? To leave a tiny piece of themselves behind, to make a mark in this life.

I'm at a point where I don't really want to show what else happened on the family roadtrip (but I will; eventually). I am very, very blessed and grateful to have been a part of it, but no-one really cares about that stuff right? You want the inside scoop. The secret to Zack's success? That magic potion he baths in every morning to get to his level of success? The elixir he drinks that give him his powers?
Note: It's Red Hare Brown Ale ;)

There is no trick though. That I can promise you. My reason for choosing - or rather; him allowing me - to intern for Zack was just how genuine he has always seemed online. No bullshit! Honest and open and actually an all around nice guy once you get to know him. They've shared so much with me - him, Meg and the kids. Things that maybe just a few close friends and family know. Who am I? A nobody from South Africa; but to them? I am part of their journey as much as they are part of mine. I've seen them on good days and bad days. I've seen Zack work and on holiday; relaxing and at home with family. I've been with him to Vegas to do a shoot, in studio and on location. I wouldn't say I've seen it all, but in the past two and a half months I've seen more than I ever could've imagined.

I've gotten to shoot for myself on pretty much every shoot thus far. How many pros do you know that would let you step in to shoot some stuff for yourself?

From another shoot where I was given the opportunity to get a shot of my own.

I've met Alton Brown, Vincent Laforet (and attended his workshop), John Keatley (we had BBQ with him and his family), Sara Lando (who broke my brain - thanks Sara :) More on that in another post) and some other close and dear friends of Zack's. To say that I am lucky is an understatement.

Chatting with John Keatley at his home office.

I've sat around dinner tables and listened to stories about GPP in Dubai and other travels. Chris Hurtt telling us about Gregory Heisler pulling over the car - somewhere in the desert - to explain to his assistant in detail, for 45 minutes what a tilt-shift lens does. Zack telling us about David Burnett outrunning him at age 65 with a large format camera to capture the last moment of a sunset in the desert. 15 photographers walking under an archway and only one of them "seeing" an opportunity for a photo. What I am getting at is that; our heroes also miss these things. They miss the shot, the perfect light/expression/moment. And that's okay, coz they are just people. People who know their craft, but people nonetheless :)

Some of Zack's first words to me whilst talking to me on their back deck, were: "I'm just a regular guy, dealing with regular shit". Like changing diapers for instance. He would come home from a job and have to do that? That's not what it's like being a pro photographer right? But that's exactly what it's like. Beyond all the shoots and editing and teaching, he's just a dude who has to take care of his family and pay the bills and clean poop and take the dog for a walk. (Meg, I am not leaving you out of this. I know you do just as much - if not more -  and deserve just as much praise. You are f**ing badass!)
This dude has been - and still is - busting his ass. He's at it every day. I see the process. Some days are easier than others, more laid back, fun, but then there are the days when it's time to get our hands in the dirt and break our nails and get dirt under our skin.

Zack mid sentence, hanging out with Vincent Laforet.. My battery died and I never took his portrait.

Filming a styling video for DEDPXL. Gotta look good for the camera.

Always a pleasure watching Zack work..

There are no hidden agendas. The Arias family have taken me in as one of their own and for that I am forever grateful. I never thought I would feel this welcome. These are some of the kindest and most giving people I have ever met in my life and I hope they come to South Africa so I can in some small way repay them for this. Note: Zack & Meg.. That is a massive hint for you to get your asses to SA ;)

Yes; I came here to learn, but beyond the photography and the gear and the dreams of being a working professional photographer, if being kinder is the only thing I learn from this trip then I am a richer person for it. Give until you can't and then give some more. Be kind. Don't take shit, but give everyone that crosses your path a moment of your time. Even if it's just a friendly hello. I've been given more than just a moment and I am still dumbfounded that a letter changed my life :)

Mr Charles.. One of the many people that Zack has given his time to.

So, get out there, make mistakes, be kind, give and share and one day it will come back, but don't go looking to get it back, coz you just might miss it.

Thanks for reading

Vegas

What can I say? Nothing! I'm not allowed to. I had to sign a waiver when I landed in Las Vegas. I've already said too much. They're here! Help....

Okay, so obviously none of that is true. Vegas was short lived. It was in and out. We landed 5:30pm local time, got our rental car, went to check out the set, checked in at our hotel, grabbed dinner and then went to bed. 6:30am call time :/ Meh!

The security office at the estate where we were shooting.

Yes! No molesting.

I slept like shit. At 5:30am my alarm screamed at me to wake up. I begrudgingly obliged, got dressed and met Zack downstairs. 6:15am we arrived on set. Video was busy setting up and dressing the set. We got our gear ready, then we waited and started shooting some BTS. "Where's the coffee? Only one cup left? Damn it! Zack should have it, he's shooting today. No, the precious-es is mine-ses! Shut up brain! It's too early! There are other cups? Yay!"

The brothers (Jonathan & Drew) arrived around 7:30am for hair and make-up. Filming began at 8am, or thereabouts. Zack would have them for 20 - maybe 30 minutes - afterward to get the key art. And in between each set he might have them anywhere from 5 to 15 minutes (if I had to roughly guess). It seemed like nothing compared to the video, but he has to make it work. He has to get the shot, whether he has two minutes or 30. It's nerve wracking.

Watching him work is awesome. He paces the room, asks me to stand in, adjusts the light, works the angles and then the brothers are there and he has to shoot. I'm on hand, holding lenses, grabbing the camera, holding a flash. Whatever he needs, I have to make it easier for him to get it.

And before you know it. The day is over. 9 hours of hurrying up and waiting. At least we could shoot BTS stuff and keep busy. Grab a coffee, tip toe to get a snack, - shit, did that sugar grain make too much noise landing in the cup? - Cut! Let's start again! Ugh! Not really though :)

So, my first time on a production set was pretty awesome! Everyone is so focused! People scurrying around, moving this, getting that. It was awesome and we were on time, which was rad, because 9 hours of that is intense. Afterward, the brothers invited us to a BBQ at their house, which has a friggen built in water slide. Pretty badass! Unfortunately, I had no bathing suit and wasn't about to get on a red eye flight with a wet ass!

After the shoot wrapped we had some time to kill, so Zack took me to the strip - which you kinda have to see at night, he said, but I still thought it was pretty rad - my eyes darting left and right, snapping photos from the passenger side window in our rented Kia. We stopped at the MGM Grand to get a beer and some bar snacks and gambled away some money. I won $68. Yeah!! I bought Zack a coffee with my winnings! :)

Fatigue was starting to kick in and we went back to the hotel valet parking to get our car, where I saw a BIG man - with the most chins I had ever seen - climb out of a Rolls Royce and I thought he might be a performer on the strip, but it turns out he was just a really big guy there to have fun with his friends.

Zipliners "zipping" past. Can only imagine how cool it would look at night with the lights on.

We then drove down the strip some more into Freemont (I think). By then we'd killed enough time to hit the road to the brothers' house, so off we went. Met a ton of people, friends, family and saw one or two familiar faces from the set. We had some BBQ, awesome homemade ice cream sandwiches and then it was time to leave, to catch our red eye flight home, where Cillian Murphy was an assassin trying to use me to assassinate the Secretary of Homeland security. Fortunately I was not Rachel McAdams and his plan was foiled.

View from the house's balcony. The Nevada desert. There are lots and lots of mountains surrounding Vegas.

Drew and Melissa (a friend from Vancouver)

On the flight I tried to sleep (like a fool). It failed miserably! Planes suck for sleeping. The only thing that made the red eye flight worth it was seeing this when we arrived in Atlanta and drove home.

Atlanta welcoming us home.

So, in closing: Did I get to experience what Vegas really is? Probably not, but who cares? I still got the opportunity to go and for that I am grateful.

Thank you Zack and thanks for reading