I plan out all my blog post at the beginning of each year. I put them all on my calendar and at the start of each month, I sit down and put together the blogs for the next four or five weeks. Today, I looked at my calendar and my heart sank. The first blog post of the month was this one, the Opera Colorado Young Artist Portraits. It’s one of my favorite sessions to do each year and I love revisiting it and looking at the photos again. But this one is different.
A few weeks ago, I started seeing a lot of photos of one of these Young Artists, Nathan, being posted all over facebook. I soon learned that he had passed away, losing his life to depression. I didn’t know Nathan well but it is always heartbreaking when someone dies, especially someone young. This session, from over a year ago, was the first time I met these seven opera singers. From the beginning, it was clear that they were very close.
I photographed events he sang at throughout the season and every once in a while, we would chat a bit after the show. There are a couple of things that I remember about my interactions with Nathan. He was always the first to lend a hand anytime I needed to carry or move something. And everything he said felt genuine. Anytime he asked me how I was doing or thanked me for photographing him, I could tell that he genuinely cared. He wasn’t just trying to make conversation. That authenticity and passion came through in his art as well. Nathan’s kindness and talent will be greatly missed in the opera community.
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