Did I ever tell you about that time I wanted to make photoart of the now Duchess of Sussex? In November 2017, when the announcement was made for the union of Megan and Harry, I was as excited as everyone else. At that moment, however, I never thought about the potential of photographing her. It was simply the thrill of knowing another American, who happened to be black was entering into the world of the Royals.
In January 2018, I was scrolling through my IG account and it was filled with mostly Megan and Harry. It was then that a light bulb went off and I thought, I could totally do a bridal portrait of her, in my style. So, you know what I did? I googled Kensington Palace since I knew that’s where Prince Harry resided. I googled them for contact information and sent a quick note inquiring about the process for making contact. Now I’ll be honest with you when I hit send, I had to take a deep breath. Did I just do what I think I did? I never in a million years thought I’d get a quick response. So, I resigned myself to the idea that it would be weeks before I heard anything. The very next morning, while I was at work, I had a response. I promise you I almost shit in my pants. And if you know me, you know that I had a moment of “losing my mind”, but I had to keep it under control because I was at work. Talk about hard. Once I was able to pull myself together and I read the email in its entirety, I saw that they just provided me the contact information to BUCKINGHAM PALACE. I mean like - they gave me the phone number to call like it was nothing. But I was like, if you like it, I love it.
Next, I started googling how to call London. So, I’m dialing, and nothing is happening. I can’t figure out what I’m doing wrong. Then I remember one of my co-workers is Indian and calls international all the time. So, I pinged her to come over to my office. I disguise the email, so she can’t see what I’m doing, but ask her how to call London. She helps me and stands there to make sure I get through. We tried like four times before it actually went through… weird, but whatever. I knew the fourth time was it because of the ringtone. I’ve watched enough British TV to know that the ringtone there is not at all like the ringtone here in the States. Now let me preface this by saying, I was not AT ALL prepared for how the phone would be answered. Honestly, I hadn’t even given it any thought. So anyway, it rings, and they answer something to the effect of “Thank you for calling Buckingham Palace.” When I tell you, I dropped the phone and my co-worker took off running, that is no exaggeration. Too embarrassed to pick it up and answer, I just hung up the phone. “What the hell is wrong with you? Act like you’ve been somewhere girl.” Once I collected myself, I attempted to call again. This time, I was prepared and was able to conduct myself accordingly. What I got was to whom and how to address my letter of inquiry. Now all I had to do was write the letter.
The letter. Let me just tell you this was probably the single most important letter I have written in my life, to date. And by no means was it an easy task. Do you just get to the point or do you give a brief intro? I mean I’m writing to BUCKINGHAM FUCKING PALACE. That’s all I kept telling myself. Now I know I was putting waaaaay more stress on myself than needed. With the help of some friends who proofread and offered suggestions, I finally completed my letter and dropped it in the mail. Now came the wait ... but how long was that going to take, I mean it’s January and the wedding is in May. I didn’t think about how I would get there and all of that. I just needed to complete the first task and I did. God had made a way for everything else that was mine and I knew he’d make another way if this was to be mine as well.
In March, I hadn’t heard anything, so I called back to the Palace. And as easily as I wrote, and you read that, was how easy it was for me to place this third call. Remember the first call was an EPIC fail. Lol! I spoke with someone in the press area and they said I just had to wait on a response. Man-o-man! So, I tried to forget and just go on about my business. As time drew nearer, I pretty much knew there was a snowball’s chance in hell that I’d get what was poised to be one of the highlights of my career, but I held out hope until finally, it was painfully clear.
Now we’re in May and it’s the day of the wedding. Like most everyone, I was glued to the TV watching … oooing and ahhing over every little thing; taking it all in. I’ve accomplished quite a bit for six years of business and while this would have been a major feather in my chapeau, this was not meant for me. And I am fine with that. I made my leap of faith, that’s the most important thing.
But what if???
I thought this was the appropriate time to tell this story as so many are seeking inspiration and asking, is this right? or can I do this? The answer is a resounding yes! You are the master of your destiny. Grab hold and don't look back.