As I’m sure you haven’t forgotten, I was robbed a couple weeks about in Quito (read about the Quito robbery here). I’d be lying if I wasn’t completely stressed out about the whole situation for days. The truth was that losing my 2 camera bodies and the two lenses was more like losing a friend than simple pieces of equipment. That gear had become my companion on my travels, and in my life’s journey.
One of the first images captured with the new cameraHowever, the response that I received from the travel community was beyond amazing. I didn’t expect that level of response from a group of people who, for the most part, I have never met in person. I guess I shouldn’t be surprised though, the travel community is full of caring people who will always have each other’s backs. I hope that it never happens, but if there is ever the opportunity to pay forward the support I have received, I won’t hesitate to do so. In total, friends, family members, and even random strangers raised nearly $1,000 dollars for me though sales of calendars, subscriptions to magazines, purchases of photo prints and even very selfless donations. As such, I was able to buy a new camera, a Canon 60d with an 18-135mm lens.
The list of who to thank is far too long to state here, and I have sent everyone personal messages in thanks instead. However, I wanted to send out a wide thank you to a couple very supportive people. First of all Dan from Adventures with Dan was amazing through the process. Not only was his donation, and a post on his site about the incident appreciated, but his sense of humour and ability to make me laugh through it all made all the difference in the world. Secondly, my sister (who is also a photographer who you can, and should, check out at Jennifer van Son Photography) has been amazing through the whole process. As I mentioned, I could sit here and list dozens of people who have lent a hand or an ear through the process. Thank you to everyone for your support.
Some people have shown their support by pre-purchasing a Galapagos Calendar. That calendar is now available for purchase. I will be sending out the first shipment on Wednesday, and then I will do another shipment on the 19th of December. I have included a video preview of the calendar below so you can check out which images will be used in it. You can buy the Galapagos Calendar through this link.
Here is the preview: