A couple of years ago, the Middlebury Institute (then Monterey Institute) president Clara Yu invited all staff from my department to a "know your fellow colleague better" kind of lunch. While savoring a delicious meal prepared by Whole Foods, we played a game of "guess your colleague's hobby". That's when Yu's guests learned about my passion for photography. Since then, I have been asked to photograph various government and international organization officials invited to visit Monterey for a lecture or meeting. I became the unofficial institute photographer.
When I look back at the people I had the opportunity to photograph, I realize what an incredible journey this has been. Here are a few examples:
Sergey I. Kislyak, Ambassador of the Russian Federation to the U.S.
Yukiya Amano, Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency
Roza Otunbayeva, former President of Kyrgyzstan
Ban Ki-moon, Secretary-General of the United Nations
CNS Director Dr. William Potter, US Under Secretary of State Rose Gottemoeller, and California Governor Jerry Brown
Lassina Zerbo, Executive Secretary of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization