Death of a Photographer

The photograph above is not mine. I wish it were. It belongs to Yuri Bonder, a photographer of tremendous talent, who had a great heart for helping other artists. I met Yuri through photo.net, a photography website where I maintain a portfolio, and though we exchanged just a couple messages over the years, I always looked forward to seeing what he was up to next. He had a great eye, a sense of humor, and just seemed like an extraordinarily decent person in a field often bustling with oversized egos.

I learned yesterday that Yuri died on his birthday from complications with pneumonia. He was only 41. Life, of course, cuts none of us slack, but his passing, in light of his age, his talent, and his charm, gives one pause.

You can check out Yuri's work at: http://photo.net/photodb/member-photos?user_id=482452

For those sensitive to such things, please note that his work includes nudes, for which he had a sensitive aptitude.

Goodbye, my colleague.