It’s a small world, or at least it’s a small city, here in Dallas. I’ve been doing the professional photographer thing for over a decade, and did photo assisting and part-time shooting for several years before that. I’ve been in this business long enough to meet a LOT of people.
Tonight, I went to an industry networking event with the wife (who is also connected to the industry), and mingled with potential clients. We planned to stay for an hour and then head to James Bland’s art gallery opening.
While mingling, I ran into a few people that I didn’t know I knew, if that makes sense. I started talking with a woman, and we both realized that we had crossed paths before. Then I start talking with the woman sitting next to her, and we realize we had met before… somewhere. We just couldn’t definitively place where or when.
Well, I move on and run into a photographer named Danny. He mentions something that struck me as familiar, so I ask him his last name. He says Turner. Danny Turner!!! Of course!!! Wow, it really is a small world…
Back, maybe twelve years ago, I used to assist James Bland on many of his photo shoots. He was/is an awesome photog, and that’s why I was excited to go see his art opening. He used this super-cool stylist a bunch, called Trixie. Well, that was his nickname for her, so everyone around the set knew here as Trixie. I was blown away by the stuff she could do during a shoot, and that’s when I first realized the true power of a great stylist on set.
Well, her husband was Danny Turner. I never met him (until tonight), but they (Trixie and James) would always discuss all the interesting shoots he was doing, so I felt like I knew a LOT about a guy I’d never actually known.
Anyway, I connected the dots and realized the woman I talked to a few minutes earlier was Trixie! I didn’t recognize her real first name when we talked a few minutes before, because I never really knew it. And it’s been over ten years since I’ve last seen her, so that’s why we knew that we knew each other, but couldn’t place where…
So, Danny and Trixie asked if we were planning to attend James’ show, and I said, “OF COURSE!” I go back to mingling with other people at the event, and then the wife and I head out for our next stop. The gallery show was downtown at the CADD space on main – a pretty nice space, if you ask me.
We get to the gallery and look over the pieces. They looked great and I enjoyed the way they were displayed – no frame or mat, just pinned to the walls with hand forged nails. There were some great pics, by the way. The wife and I each picked our favs, as we wandered from print to print.
While at the show, we obviously ran into Danny and Trixie again. However, I also ran into Lindsay Graham. I just photographed him a couple weeks ago for Quick. We talked for a minute and then I said hello to James and it was time to head home.
Maybe I drew the story out way longer than it had to be. I guess I could’ve just posted that I ran into Trixie after twelve years, but what would be the fun in that?!?