So, last night an alert popped up that I’d received another entry from ‘Unfinished Thinking‘ and I quickly opened it up. My jaw kind of dropped. “An Autobiographical Obituary from the late Mike Hughes,” it read. I thought Mike must be joking. But, no, this part of the journey had come to an end for Mike Hughes. You hear and read a lot of things about people when their time is done, but Mike obviously had a special connection with so many that it boggles the mind. I can’t say that I really knew him but he had quite the impact on me. Here’s my Mike story.
I first met Mike when The One Club asked me to photograph his induction into the Creative Hall of Fame in 2010 . A year or so later, Joni Davis and I worked together to organize a large group portrait of all of the great Mad Men & Women who came together that particular year. Mike was one of them. The scene was crazy with everyone and their families, friends, peers, etc. As usual it was a crazed rush of activity and, oh yes, the show was about to begin. Yet totally unexpected, Mike made a point to pull me aside. He said some of the nicest words and paid me one of the greatest compliments that I’ve ever heard–words that I’ll never forget. They’re the kind of words that put wind in your sails, and lift you up to get you through the rough days. And they’re also the kind of words you keep to yourself. So I became one of Mike’s Army. I followed his blog with amazement and awe. And, yes, I envied those that knew him better and worked with him more–if he could have had such an impact on me in those few short moments, what must it have been like to have had more opportunities? I always hoped I’d get to see him again. That won’t happen now but, like so many, I carry a little bit of him along. And my thoughts go out to his family, friends and colleagues.
–Ric Kallaher has photographed everything and everybody. You can check out his work at www.ric-kallaher.com. He last wrote 2paragraphs on photographing Bill Clinton, and wearing a hat.
