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Successfully Yours


Howard Greene

Howard Greene is a professional photographer. He is American and a lawyer. How these two apparently confusing professions are wrapped up in one complex man is an interesting story.

Howard was a product of the Baby Boomers era and was born in Queens in New York. He graduated from Forest Hills High School, around five years after Simon and Garfunkel, but Mrs Robinson was not in his class either!

Unfortunately, his parents divorced and his mother worked two jobs to keep her son in college. Fortunately, Howard was a good student and he studied Arts and Sciences at Cornell University as an undergraduate and then went on to their law school.

After graduation the young lawyer moved into a large law firm. A very large law firm which employed more than 400 lawyers. The kind of firm that to even fast track his way to becoming a partner would take over 15 years.

So was life in “The Firm” like Tom Cruise’s in the celluloid version of the book? Not at all, according to Howard Greene. His work involved interpreting newly drafted banking regulations and statutes for the clients of the firm. In his words, “The driest and most boring aspect of lawyer life.”

This work was so less than enthralling that he described the following 20 years as, “... pretty much of a blur. It was more of the same.” He was working 80 hours a week over six days. He became engaged to be married twice, but each time the girl in question could not understand that the work came first. However, there were some tangible rewards. He had an apartment on the East River; there were BMW’s in the garage and Arabian horses in the corral.

It was the horses that led him towards photography, as he wished to get some good shots of them. Over the next five years, he graduated from a Fuji point and shooter to professional cameras such as Nikons and Mamiyas, and then threw in his resignation to the firm. The man who was a lawyer left the dusty books indoors for the dusty plains of the Arizona outdoors. And why not? He had no wife, no kids and no family, his mother having died when he was 22 years old.

For Howard, Arizona was a place where he could photograph real life. “Arizona is sunny for 310 days a year - a unique environment for a photographer. I opened up a little photography business, which grew into a large photography business.” Over the next three years he photographed everything from socialites for magazines, interiors for architects and golf for tournament promoters.

The next turning point for him was a friend in an advertising agency who made him an offer he couldn’t refuse - to go on the road, around the world, and shoot film. The plan was to send the film back to America, where they in turn would deposit money in his bank account. With his photographer’s jacket on, Howard visited Greece, Turkey, Australia, New Zealand, Bali and Belfast.

He enjoyed Belfast, staying with some friends during a two month cease-fire period, so Howard did all the shooting instead, getting some evocative black and white shots of performers in the blues clubs, “In Ireland, everyone’s a musician,” Howard mused.

However, the tranquillity of the cease-fire was broken by the domestic squabbling of his friends so he hopped on a plane for Thailand in June last year. Howard had experienced Bali and felt that Thailand might bring the serenity he was looking for. This initial foray was a 25 day holiday and the Thai people left an immediate mark on him. “I appreciated those who could hear the whisper above the shout, as contrasted against the holidaymakers who welcomed the sheer blessing of another human being’s embrace.” He returned to Belfast, packed his gear and bought a one-way ticket to the Kingdom.

Twelve months ago Howard walked past the TQ Bar on Beach Road and saw notices about the Jesters Children’s Fair and spoke to Lewis “Woody” Underwood. Howard’s first words were, “I’m new and I have a camera.” Woody’s reply was typical. One word only, “Hired!”

From that chance meeting, this led to Mike Franklin, who introduced Howard to Tesco-Lotus and the Thai Country Club. From there, photography has snowballed, following Howard’s avowed storybook formula - “No two shots are alike.”

Howard has a forthright opinion on success too. “In the 21st century money is the measuring stick of how good you do what you do. There is no contract without consideration.” As a professional photographer he knows the first rule too, “When you are being paid you can not screw it up!” Howard takes that concept further, believing implicitly in excellence and professionalism. Bad photographs he describes as, “Insulting the human race.”

One of Howard’s favourite photos - a lifetime of hard work in Bali

He admits to a need to succeed. “I want success in Asia. I have (already) been successful as a lawyer and as a photographer in Arizona.” One of his few regrets in life was that his mother never lived long enough to see these successes that she had worked so hard to make happen. He is certainly driven in his pursuit of excellence. Recently he has formed a partnership with Ron Keeley and Jason Payne of Odyssey International, web site designers and marketers, for whom he supplies the photographs (You can see Howard’s work at www.odysseythailand.com).

When I asked the lawyer photographer what his advice would be for the youth of today, it was a typical droll Howardism, “The accepted thing is to pick something you like to do and work hard, but this isn’t real life. Realistically, work hard and pray for a little luck!”

Howard Greene must have spent quite some time on his knees over the past three decades. Welcome to Pattaya, Howard Greene!

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