"David Lucy, 74, takes a break between runs at Loveland Ski Area where he still skis on a regular basis in Georgetown, Colo., Tuesday, Dec. 28, 2010. Lucy, a University of Denver graduate, was the first African-American competitive skier in the country."
After some small talk near the top of the lift David turned to me and asked, "where are we headed?" I pointed off in the general direction of the next lift and the next thing I knew he was gone. If I'm still skiing like David when I'm 74 I think I'll consider my life a success.
Myself and super-assistant Nathan Armes found a few nice locations within 100 yards of each other and David gave us plenty of time to make a few images. Transporting and using lighting gear on the mountain can be a challenge so having two locations close to each other was a huge help.
David reminded me a lot of my dad and tons of great, similar stories that made this project a lot of fun. When I drove up to his immaculate home in Erie to shoot a pair of his old skis and awards his wife questioned whether we were going to do any photos or just chat all afternoon. I was able to get what I needed for my client, University of Denver Magazine, and then we continued talking, mostly about his early '70s cherry red Ferrari that was in the garage.
I work hard to connect with people on assignment and talking about cars, skiing and life with David really did the trick.
-JCE
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