My Passion for Photos or Photos as Historical Documents
When we first immigrated to the U.S., we lived with my uncles. Sai Kow Fu or "younger uncle" in Cantonese, dappled in photography, and oftentimes, we kids were his models. I liked posing and discovered that I loved pictures! To me, they represented a captured moment in time, to be experienced over and over and over again.
My cat and her kids -- I have about 10,000 pictures of all the joy she'd brought into our lives for 20 years.
Even before I started working for Kodak, I was already taking 10-20 rolls of film pictures per month, accumulating boxes of film negatives, and shelves of photo albums. I joined six employee networks, and the first photos I took were at the annual dinner meeting of the Women's Forum of Kodak Employees (WFKE). That year, it was hosted by Ann Fisher. I remembered getting the invite to the dinner, and one line on the invitation blew my mind - I've never attended a dinner meeting at a home with "Valet parking for the first 70 cars." You bet I took pictures!
Adding a touch of diversity, the Chinese lion dance troupe (from the Rochester Shaolin Training Academy) kicked off the 2003 Rochester Heart Walk at the Blue Cross Arena at the Rochester War Memorial.
From then on, I became a photographer for many employee network events, and later invited to photograph some company sponsored and community events. It is through my photography and community advocacy that I had the opportunity to curate a photo exhibit, produce a documentary, conduct oral history interviews, and contribute to the Library of Congress through the New York State Documentary Heritage Project. I believe that volunteerism and working on community projects expand and stretch our capabilities beyond the confines of our perceived world, where each individual can truly make a difference.
Photograher: Anthony J. Zollo
Kodak Photo Support Team at the Red Cross Fire & Ice Benefit on 9/13/2008: Doreen Granville, Jeff Palma, and me.
Phat Dao demonstrating one of the new Kodak Easyshare All-in-One printers.
So, this is the short saga of how my passion for photos became a mission to document our historical heritage. In future blogs, I hope to share more of these pictures. In the meantime - smile, because I may be coming by to snap your picture to add to the collection!
Behind the Picture
As I walked through the busy streets of Midtown Manhattan, on my way to Rockefeller Plaza, I gazed out over the infamous sunken skating rink, through the United Nations Member flags lining the plaza, up at the towering GE building. Consumed with wonder and excitement, I knew I was walking into it was an opportunity of a lifetime. It was my first day as an Operations Manager for Kodak. I was working for one of the largest and most prestigious companies in the world. An innovator in technology, photography, filming, and imaging, Kodak represented more than just stability and values, it represented the future, my future. My awe and splendor quickly turned to anxiety and apprehension as I realized my success depended on my ability to lead a young and very inexperienced group of photographers towards one shared goal. It was at this point, I realized my position, as an Operations Manager was not about developing pictures and images, it was about developing people.
Behind the pictures and behind the technology, are people. At Kodak Event Imaging Solutions, as Kodak photographers, we take great pride in sharing in some of the happiest moments in our customers' lives. We are responsible for creating and capturing memories and moments for people all over the world. This is a critical element of Kodak's core and promise to the consumer. We represent Kodak's philosophies and share Kodak's ideals in creating change in the world. Kodak represents my team and I as much as we represent Kodak. Behind the pictures are teams of photographers, sales associates, technological experts, and software developers, all dedicated to ensuring that our customers receive their captured moments. Each and every photograph and image are treated as the important treasures they are. We all realize once these moments have passed, they can no longer be captured again. That's why we pay such meticulous attention to detail, positioning, lighting, equipment, and personality as it all contributes to the quality of the image and reverence of the moment. These are important moments, intimate moments, historical moments, Kodak moments!
Now, five years later, as a District Manager overseeing the entire Northeast, I look back at my experiences at Kodak. My most significant accomplishment is not the growth of the region, but the growth of my team. Sharpening my abilities to teach and lead some of New York's best and brightest has given me greater satisfaction than I ever could have achieved through recognition and promotion. My team drives me as much as I drive them. I take personal pride in their accomplishments and share the accountability for their failures and losses. I've watched them grow, I've watched them mature, I've watched them leave, and I've watched them blossom. We all take pride in the opportunity to represent a company with core values that provide us a purpose, a goal, and something to aspire to. This is what it means for us to work for a company like Kodak. Leading my team has led me to discover things about myself that I never knew existed. In turn, I find myself eager to share my knowledge, knowing that I have helped so many find their passion and desire about life. They too will seek to make others' lives more enjoyable and our customers' experiences more gratifying. This is our contribution in making a difference in the world; by making a difference in the lives of our customers; by capturing memories, preserving moments, and fostering good will. I realize now Kodak is not just my future, Kodak is our future.
Follow us!
Last month marked the two year anniversary of 1000 Words blog. We have written a lot of posts in the past two years! We have also started to grow beyond the blogs. Check out these other spots online where you can find Kodak.
On YouTube there are videos about Kodak products and services. You can rate, share, favorite or leave a comment on each posted video. Become a subscriber and you will be notified whenever we upload a new video.
For quick Kodak updates follow me (KodakCB) or Jeff Hayzlett on Twitter. We post bits and pieces about what is going on at Kodak in 140 characters or less.
You can find photos of everything Kodak from tradeshows to photo projects on Kodak's flickr photostream. Browse through our photo sets, or leave a comment on our pictures.
The Kodak Delicious page is a spot to collect bookmarks of Kodak product reviews and articles. Take a look to see what people are saying about us online.
If you are on Facebook, you can become a fan of Kodak. Once you are a fan you will know when we add videos, pictures or events to the Kodak Facebook Page. Plus there will be more exciting things to come on the Facebook page in the coming year.
On kodak.com there are podcasts and RSS feeds. The Kodak podcasts cover topics from technology to finance. You can watch them online, download them to your computer or subscribe and get automatic updates.
A wide variety of information is also available through Kodak RSS feeds. You can easily subscribe to recieve content to your favorite RSS reader.
First Glimpses
This is the beginning of many firsts for me - I am pregnant with my first child. So far I've experienced: The feeling of discovering that I was going to be a Mommy for the first time. The joy of sharing the news with my husband for the first time. The first visit to the Doctor's. The first congratulations, the first sickness, the first blushes, the first stare at my belly, the first ooh's and aah's.
But nothing can compare to the feeling of 'seeing' my baby for the first time - my first ultrasound. My husband was with me and the memory of the joy on his face the first time he heard the heart beat still brings tears to my eyes.
Being the techno-geeks we were ready to capture those precious moments. Armed with various cameras - point and shoot, camera phones, the latest Zi6 video camera we felt invincible. Imagine our disappointment when we were informed that none of these capture devices were allowed. We could only get a copy of the ultrasound on a VHS tape! Ummm, we got rid of our video player years ago. The glimpses of my baby were held captive in a black plastic 'box' that I could only stare at helplessly.
With some help from Kodak friends I got the movie converted and I have posted it to YouTube to share with friends and family.
Hubby and I have seen it so many times just in the last few days. I even feel the baby move when I watch the DVD now :0)
Northern California
