When a Google Search & Good Fortune Collide...

You never know what a Google search will find. 

And, you never know when good fortune will make an unexpected appearance. 

Those truisms collided yesterday. I received a heartwarming surprise in the form of an e-mail. It was from a creative director at a national advertising company. Thanks to a Google image search, he saw one of my pictures. It was exactly what he wanted for his work, so he inquired whether I would be agreeable to a non-exclusive licensing agreement. After I consulted with my business advisor (sweet hubby, the retired professional photographer) and tossed some correspondence back and forth, we reached a financial agreement! I still retain copyrights to the image. 

So I am now officially, and accidentally, a professional photographer. Gracious! Here is the picture that caught his eye. This happens to be one of my personal favorites too, so the recognition is extra sweet.

The subject image is one that I “tricked out” in Photoshop with several techniques. The stone wall is not painted in real life. The stones are actually part of the structural support to the Pisgah Covered Bridge in Randolph County, North Carolina. The bridge was originally built in 1911 for $40. A flood tragically destroyed it in 2003. But local residents recovered about 90% the materials and rebuilt. The bridge, with its poignant history, represents a little slice of Americana - one with a unique, tough, and resilient spirit. That is what inspired me to create an altered image by digitally “painting” a flag over the stones.

If you ever spot my image in an advertisement, please let me know! I will probably have to change my pants.