Friday, August 27, 2010

The Big News!


"I am very happy to inform you that one of your photos have been selected by our panel of judges as winners of this year's photo contest. The Federation wishes to congratulate all of you on the selection of your photographs as the winners.
As a token of the Federation's appreciation for your participation in this year's photo contest and to recognize the high quality and value of your work, each of you will receive a copy of our 2011 calendar signed by H.S.H. Princess Stephanie of Monaco ... as a token of her and our appreciation for your efforts to capture so beautifully Circus."

This was part of the several emails I have received from the Federation Mondiale du Circque, or World Circus Federation, in regards to my entry in the Second Annual World Circus Federation Photo Contest. The rules were simple: submit a color photo taken in 2010 that answers the question "What Makes a Circus a Circus?"

My photo was selected as one of the thirteen winners and a finalist for the overall grandprize. Although I did not make it the finale, my photo will be featured in the Federation calendar produced for 2011 and also will be featured in a photo exhibition in Monaco during the 35th Festival International du Cirque de Monte-Carlo. With the help of my friend Jack Ryan, we wrote a beautiful summary of my picture and why it answered the question asked by the Federation:

"Our lives are measured by the miles of the road ahead, by the overriding concern for our animals' daily bread and the piercing blast of the whistle from opening to finale.
It's the people who give the circus a face, but personal lives must always play second fiddle to the never-ending demands that create the magic of sawdust and spangles.
A freak snowstorm in northern Texas USA roused the sleeping of the Kelly Miller Circus and called us to arms. All hands pitched in -- as they always must -- to protect the tent from irreparable harm. Save it we did and back down the road we would go, for the day the whistle fails to blow, the world loses its youth and becomes a sadder place."

Thank you very much to the Federation and Princess Stephanie for giving me this great opportunity, to Jack Ryan for helping me write such beautiful prose, and to Casey as well for waking me up at 430 in the morning to help with tent tear down. I now appreciate the gesture and am no longer cursing him (for that reason, anyways). ADDENDUM: Thanks to Jody Sentel for bringing the snow to town and giving us a day vacation after the cancelled shows. She was gracious enough to post my picture on her Facebook page as well back in March, though I would like to point out she did NOT get up for the teardown as the rest of us did LOL.
ADDENDUM ADDENDUM: Thank you very much to Tavana Luvas Brown, who constantly pushed how great of a picture this was (when I thought otherwise) and became my publicist for submitting this picture to both this contest and several magazines as well.
Calendars featuring the winning photographs may be purchased at www.oaba.org for residents of North America and in the Federation’s Boutique at www.circusfederation.org for other world regions.

For an update on my presenting the act, tonight was day eight of working the show. Two more tricks from Casey's act were included earlier this week, everything included minus the third tiger for the multiple tiger backwards hind leg walk. Thank you everyone for the congratulations and the well wishes. I owe it all to Casey and Natalie for giving me this amazing opportunity and supporting me from the beginning, and finally for helping me rise from the goof I was before I started; the goof that Wade displayed recently on his blog.

16 comments:

Tepa said...

A beautiful photo. Congratulations on the photo and the acknowledgment gift.

Ryan Easley said...

Thank you very much Tepa :)
Look forward to seeing you guys this winter. Hopefully you can see me work the act before the season is over and give me some styling tips as well LOL

Rose Acord said...

Wonderful photo and great prose by you and the dean of descriptive, earl of elegance, supreme scribe of sawdust sobriquets, Jack Ryan.

You are on a roll, Radar!

( and I'm not talking the kind with sesame seeds, although that two is good, especially with two all beef patties, special sauce, lettuce, cheese, pickle, onion on that bun.)

Congratulations again!

Rose Acord said...

...and that would be "that too is good."

...and it is, both what you've been doing, and Big Mac's.

Bob Cline said...

Way to go Ryan. What a thrill! I'm really happy for you.

RIck MI said...

Congrats Radar!! What's next?? Dancing with the Stars???

Michael Newton-Brown said...

Great news. Beautiful photo, and acknowledgements. Glad you got Jack off his keester to do some meaningful work.

Wade G. Burck said...

Radar,
I didn't realize starting from moron and advancing to the esteemed plateau of putz was such a big deal!!!!!!
Wade Burck

Wade G. Burck said...

Addendum to Radar,
I have a great 2010 Hooter's Girls calendar signed by Sara Hoots(Miss April). If you want that one to add to your growing calendar collection let me know, and I will send it to you.
Wade Burck

Ryan Easley said...

Heck ya Wade! That would be awesome.
Any calendars you are featured in? Or an action figure that I could ask you to sign as well?
And is the offer still good for Nick's first leg chain? :)
I'll send you a copy of the 2011 Federation Calendar, signed to "Putz Trainer Burck, Thanks for teaching me how to break a sweat."

Wade G. Burck said...

Radar,
It was colshut, not chain. You couldn't break glass even if someone got it started by cracking it first, let alone a sweat. No calender or action figure, but you can have one of the baseball type cards of me, if or when you do something of use to the animal training profession.
Wade Burck

Ryan Easley said...

Boy, what a swell fella ya are, Mr. Burck. That would just mean the world to me!

Natalie said...

We couldn't we happier for ya!!! That is such a great picture!

Lane Taburt said...

WOW. This is a photo that any circus photographer would blurt out "I wish I had taken that one." We often think of performers having to endear 100-degree-plus temperatures the big top and torrential downpours, but snow? Congrats. I wish I had snapped that one.

Dick Flint said...

Great international honor for you and the show you represent! Take joy in this as you deal with the loss of Raja.
Dick Flint
Baltimore

Anonymous said...

And I knew you "when"......
Congrats .... We want more.

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