The number was 111111111
I answered, fully expecting it to be some automated recording or somebody trying to sell me something a leopard-print snuggie.
"Heyyyyllloooooo" is about as unprofessional as it gets.
I was greeted by neither expected response, but by a photo editor at the New York Times, requesting a photo shoot that I had done years ago. Whoops. I switched to a more professional tone and had a lovely conversation about a shoot I spent 20 minutes on, nearly two years ago.
Apparently, while I was working for The Lumberjack student newspaper at NAU, I photographed a band performance of great interest to the NYT.
Of course, they don't care about the band itself. They care about the fact that Jared Lee Loughner, of Tuscon mass-murder spree fame, was apparently friends with the guitarist of the band that played. They think he might have been at the performance that I photographed, and they want me to look through my photoshoot and see if I can find anyone who might look anything like him.
Crazy stuff.
The story ran in late March of 2009. I don't keep photos that old on my local hard drive, so I told him he would probably have to wait a while until I can get my archives spun up to look at the pictures. I also asked him to email me his contact information and a link to the story. I didn't get an email.
Looking at the story and the image that ran, I remember the shoot. There were maybe 10 people total in the room, so I'm guessing that I didn't shoot many "crowd" shots. Still - it's fun to get a call from a publication like the NY Times. If I end up finding a picture of Loughner, I'll be sure to post it here, with a link to the NY Times page that runs it.
