In the Field: Photo Blog by Richard Wong

Photography field reports by Richard Wong. Richard’s work has been published in magazines, books, advertising, and offers fine art prints of his work. Images may be licensed as rights-managed stock photos by contacting Richard directly at Richard@rwongphoto.com or (626) 422-6151. California stock photography, fine art prints, photo blog: www.rwongphoto.com

In Remembrance

Posted on | September 10, 2007 | 11 Comments

Today I found out that my cousin Herbert passed away due to short bout with pancreatic cancer. He was just diagnosed recently and it was a shock because he was only in his 40’s. He is someone that I’ve always had great respect for and had a profound impact on my life more than anyone will ever know. He was my travel companion for several road trips and taught me a lot about photography early on. The first time I had ever seen sunrise alpenglow was on the face of Mount Rushmore which was a big surprise to me because all I knew that morning was that Herbert wanted to break down camp at Custer State Park and leave when the stars were still out.

Mount Rushmore, Black Hills, South Dakota Photo of Mount Rushmore, Black Hills, South Dakota

On a trip to San Francisco several months later, he brought along a copy of Outdoor Photographer magazine to read and on it was a cover picture of Torres del Paine by Galen Rowell. I had never seen a photo like that before so Herbert explained to me who Galen Rowell was. Look at my photos for a minute and it’s obvious what kind of influence that discovery had on my photography.

Herbert was a soft-spoken man, but one of the nicest people I’ve ever known. His knowledge of many subjects was very impressive. I called him periodically to ask photography-related questions and there was nothing that he didn’t know. In fact, earlier this summer I asked him if he would be willing to be my 2nd shooter and handle the portraiture for a potential beach wedding gig later this year. He sounded excited, though ultimately the job fell through. When my family visited him at the hospital last month, I was touched that he asked me about my recent California Coast photography trip. Secretly I hoped that he’d get well and be able to do another trip with me in the future.

All the words in the world can’t really express what I want to say, but I would like to say, “Thank you, Herbert.”

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11 Responses to “In Remembrance”

  1. Jim Goldstein
    September 10th, 2007 @ 10:58 pm

    Sorry to hear about your loss Richard. Losing someone is incredibly hard, particularly when they’ve had such an impact on our life. I wish you and your family the best.

    Jim

  2. Sherri Meyer
    September 11th, 2007 @ 8:24 am

    I’m also sorry to hear of your loss. Writing this post and sharing the photographic experiences you shared with him, is a great way to start the healing process. On a lighter note, have you ever been to Galen Rowell’s galleries? I’ve been to both of them. His first one in the Bay Area and the current one in Bishop. I even have a photo of myself standing with him (from my first trip), along with 2 local high school photography teachers. One of them is a good friend of mine. We took a bunch of students there on a field trip many years ago. If you haven’t been to the one in Bishop, I highly recommend that you do.

    Take care,
    Sherri

  3. Richard
    September 11th, 2007 @ 11:56 am

    Thanks guys. Yes, actually I have been to Galen’s Bishop gallery a few times. It’s huge, and awesome. I like the guest exhibits too. Vern Clevenger was on display once and Jack Dykinga another time.

  4. bernie kasper
    September 11th, 2007 @ 5:09 pm

    I am very sorry to hear of you and your families loss Richard, I will keep you in my thoughts, he sounded like a great man.

  5. Brandi & Daniel
    September 11th, 2007 @ 7:05 pm

    That was a very touching post, one that I was happy to read. I think your comments were spot on. Herbert was one of the nicest people I knew. He always devoted his time to his family and cousins. He (like you) were one of the few cousins who attended my wedding not to mention volunteered to help me move half way across the country when I went to graduate school. If that is not a sign of generosity, what is? His presence at family meetings will surely be missed.

  6. Richard
    September 11th, 2007 @ 8:36 pm

    Thanks Daniel. We certainly did have a great time helping you move to Iowa and shoot your wedding. There’s certain things you don’t forget in life, and those moments were definetely two of them.

  7. Richard
    September 11th, 2007 @ 8:37 pm

    Thanks Bernie, your comments are always welcome.

  8. Ron Niebrugge
    September 11th, 2007 @ 10:36 pm

    Really sorry to hear read this Richard, sounds like Herbert was a special person.

  9. Richard
    September 11th, 2007 @ 11:27 pm

    Thanks Ron.

  10. Gary Crabbe
    September 12th, 2007 @ 2:08 pm

    Richard:

    I left a comment earlier but never showed up, so am trying again…

    My Condolences as well. I recently learned a young neighbor girl who used to play with me and my sister when we were kids died of the same thing. Sad, I found out about 6 years after the fact, but it hit me like it had just happened.

  11. Richard
    September 12th, 2007 @ 3:27 pm

    Thanks for sharing the story Gary. That’s unfortunate you weren’t able to know that at the time of her passing.

    Life is short, so it’s best to follow our passions because that’s really all we take with us when we our time is up.

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