THE ACCIDENTAL CAREER OF PHOTOGRAPHER JIMMY CHIN
In August 2003, nature photographer Jimmy Chin was working on Mount Everest when a wall of snow came down and nearly killed him. Though he was thrown 30 meters down the mountain, Chin managed to take some dramatic pictures of the falling ice and snow. They were so good that he was hired to film scenes for a new documentary about the world's highest mountains. Not bad for someone who just five years earlier didn't even own a camera.(lines 1–5)
"I was planning to become a professional mountain climber," says Chin, "but that changed in April 1999, when I was training for an expedition with a friend who worked for a magazine. One morning I picked up his camera and took a picture of him in his sleeping bag, just as a joke. He showed my photo to the magazine editor and she bought it!" Chin used the money to buy a camera of his own. He quickly acquired the necessary technical skills and his pictures began appearing in exhibitions and top photography magazines.(lines 6–11)
Chin was soon hired to film a climbing expedition in Argentina, combining his favorite activities: photography and climbing. There was just one problem: he had to use a video camera, something he had never done before. Again, however, he showed his unusual ability to pick up technical skills, and brought back an award-winning film of the climb. Matt Stanley, former editor of Climbing magazine, says, "Chin's exceptional artistic talent enables him to capture the drama in every situation, especially the extreme ones."(lines 12–17)
Chin's achievements are based on more than just talent. He is always experimenting and is admired for his bold use of new techniques. And, he is very happy with the way things have turned out. "I've found a profession that's perfect for me: I get paid for doing the two things I love most in the world."(lines 18–20)