SOC 45th Annual Awards

It was such a blast getting to attend the SOC’s 45th Annual Awards Show. Thank you to my Fujifilm Family for inviting me and my gorgeous partner in crime. To be in a room with so much talent was a true honor and inspiration. We rubbed elbows with several Hall-of-Famers in the film, television and broadcast world but none were bigger to me in that moment than the man pictured in the second slide ➡️

That’s Larry Parker. IYKYK. He was my lighting and electrical teacher 12 years ago when I was at the American Film Institute. This was back when Mole-Richadson Lighting Co. was on La Brea for those that remember. I was just a kid and I always looked forward to his class. He had this amazing way of teaching. His energy was so incredibly infectious and I’ll never forget how kind he always was. The best part about seeing him again was remembering the way he used to mess with us in class. He used to say, “Hey, kid! Go grab that 2K light and put it on this combo stand over here.” I would excitedly run over and while I had my back turned, he’d screw the tighting knob on the head of the stand so when I came back with the heavy light, he would burst out laughing watching me fumble with it, unable to place it properly. He was obviously teaching us a lesson on always checking before placing. “Work smarter, not harder,” he used to say. Years later I find myself checking the stands before picking anything up. Every once in a while, I forget and I can hear my colleague and friend Daryl GIlmore yell from across the room, “You just got Larry-Moled!” All these years later, we are still laughing about this. 

I shared these stories with him last night and how deeply I appreciate him for everything he taught us. It was awesome hearing how that made his night. It certainly made mine. We laughed about our ties and we hugged goodbye. I hope I get to see ya again soon Larry. Thank you for teaching me how to be a kind professional. I wouldn’t be able to call myself a cinematographer without you. ❤️🙏🏼🎥💡