Thursday, February 23, 2012

A Jade Screen Update

In the previous post I mentioned a letter I had received from a woman who had visited the Huangshan Mt's., after seeing my Jade Screen Hotel image in Conde Nast Traveler, while she was receiving treatment for cancer.
Jamie's letter and a photograph of the magazine spread showing the Jade Screen image has just been released in the March issue. And once again, Conde Nast Traveler has somehow "dropped the ball", and neglected to give me a credit for the image! Instead, they gave a credit to the photographer who photographed the magazine spread! Aargh!

My contact at CNT has apologized and she has promised that it will show up as a correction in the next issue.

The good news is that the online version of CNT has published her letter and there is now a "Going To Extremes" slideshow from that story. Both include a credit & link !

Friday, February 17, 2012

Jade Screen Hotel & CNT-Revisited

Once in awhile I get an email or a note about one of my images which helps me feel good about being a photographer.

About one year ago Conde Nast Traveler licensed my Jade Screen Hotel image to lead a story called "Going to Extremes"; a portfolio of images of remote hotels from around the World. I wrote about it in a previous post.



In December, I received a very moving message from a woman in Montana who had seen the article.
With Jamie's kind permission, here is what she wrote:

 12/14/11
Jake, 
I saw your photo of the Jade Screen Hotel in Conde Nast Traveler when I was in the hospital undergoing intensive chemotherapy for leukemia. That picture was good medicine. It took me far away from a place that I really didn’t want to be.I saved that shot, even made it the wallpaper on my phone. It just made my jaw drop every time I looked at it—both because of the scenery itself and because of the magical way you captured it. It looked like something straight out of a fairy tale, so remote and elusive.When I finished my last treatment, I took my new lease on life and headed straight for Huangshan. I climbed those stairs, and I stayed! at the Jade Screen. It was a dream come true. Is there any way I could get a copy of that print? I feel like I have carried it around for many miles… or maybe it has carried me. 
And then.....
12/16/11

Jake,
Many thanks to you for taking that photo! From the first moment I saw it, I wanted to go there. On my way to China, I kept showing people where I was headed. Like me, no one could quite believe that such a place existed. Someday, I’d like to hear about your trip. How did you possibly discover Mount Huangshan?
BTW, thanks for asking about my health. I am in complete remission and done with all my treatments. It was a long haul, but now my hospital visits are simply routine checkups.

It really was a thrill to climb those steps.... such a far cry from the days when I couldn’t breathe without being on oxygen and when a few steps around the room was a major accomplishment.

Thanks again for inspiring me to go!
Jamie

Jamie & I have corresponded many times since I received her email, and she has sent a letter to the magazine, letting them know about her trip to the Huangshan Mt's. It will be published in the March 2012 issue of CNT.



Thank You Jamie! I look forward to meeting you someday!