In Another Light

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What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us.

Ralph Waldo Emerson

A short story about my story...

I was 23 when I made a left turn in Albuquerque on a road trip with my best friend. We covered a lot of terrain in New Mexico. I am originally from The Hoosier State so The Land of Enchantment was kind of enchanting to an Indiana Hoosier. The panoramic vistas were inspirational to me in the way that a quiet moment can inspire a young man to gaze into the future. I remember sitting on the railroad tracks as I collected my thoughts on a postcard. I can still feel the passion in my words and I can imagine another new adventure somewhere on the horizon. If I could just remind myself to write an address on the postcard then it would have become a special memento from my journey. My parents never received that postcard in the mail. The postcard was sent with all of my hope for the future. It was just missing an address because of all my dreams for the future. I still think about that postcard when I see something new on the horizon. Memories begin to fade over time but some dreams will always stand the test of time.

Nick News with Linda Ellerbee Haiti Rising? Life In The Ruins

There have been a few more turns in the road since that day on the tracks. I am guided now by my experience from some challenging assignments around the world for the Emmy-winning television series Nick News with Linda Ellerbee. If every picture tells a story then some pictures can tell more than one story. My photographs can share someone's story and yet still remain a part of my story.

Nick News with Linda Ellerbee Kids For Sale - Slavery In Ghana

One particular assignment at the White House became a national news story when my photograph of the President of the United States promoted an episode of Nick News with Linda Ellerbee. Barack Obama is now the former President of the United States but I still remember him being very gracious and polite to a nervous photographer who was a little concerned about the depth of field in his composition.

Michael Pankiewicz

Time has a way of altering our perspective over the course of a single day or somewhere within the uncharted territory of a new tomorrow. The railroad tracks set a course for a lifetime of stories on the day I began a new story on a postcard from Albuquerque, New Mexico. I can no longer recall a single word from that postcard but I can picture all the stories to be told somewhere in between the lines. Every story has a beginning and today is always a good day to start something new.