We all live in fear. Some fears are rational, others not so much. When one gets older, priorities change and by default, their fears.
Decades ago, I always feared the waitstaff wouldn’t like me or I’d be judged by the gas station attendant for not buy something after using the restroom.
Now that I’m a father, my fear is greater than any validation I receive from strangers.
Most fathers have the same fear as I when raising a boy: the fear of my son not thinking I’m cool.
I received a call from banjo player Matt Menefee from the The Hit Points, who are seasoned bluegrass musicians from Nashville, TN, bringing their own acoustic Appalachian charm to the soundtrack of your childhood video game obsession……according to their website. The Hit Points had recently covered Mario’s Athletic Theme and Matt called to tell me that Nintendo VIP and Mario creator Shigeru Miyamoto heard their version and loved it. So much so, he requested a private showcase next time he was in Nashville. Upon hearing this, I immediately thought to myself that I have to get in there and get his portrait.
I had a week to obsess and I used every day to do so. After waffling on several ideas, I landed on Miyamoto playing with a Mario chess set. Unfortunately I landed on this idea before I knew a Mario chess set would cost $40 dollars. However, looking back it was a minor price to pay to get an amazing image and at the same time, giving my son an experience he’ll never forget.
The Violin Shop would be the location of The Hit Points’ showcase. Once my son and I arrived, we were ushered to what seemed to be the smallest workshop in Middle Tennessee. Somehow we managed to set up a 9FT wide background and three lights. While my son set up the chess board, I started taking test shots. It’s very important to get the lighting just right when you’re pressed for time. Miyamoto had no idea I was going to take his photo. So if I got the opportunity, I had to be quick.
The boy did a great job setting up the board. I knew if I actually photographed the Mario creator, there’d be someone out there who would know if the chess pieces weren’t in the correct squares. Once the board was ready, I photographed the boy and it looked great.
After Miyamoto arrived at The Violin Shop, I walked over to his interpreter and showed her my son’s photo. I explained that I’d like to photograph Miyamoto the same way. She got his attention, pointed to the back of my camera, spoke Japanese, then nodded his head. I don’t speak Japanese, however I know nods and that was a big one.
At the end of the night, we guided Miyamoto back to the workshop and squeezed him behind the chess set. He seemed genuinely amused with the chess board idea and that only made my job easier.
Miyamoto was enthusiastic and extremely in to the process, even picking up the Mario king piece and saying in a thick Japanese accent “chessmate”. Talk about an exclamation point on my night.
After less than 10 minutes of shooting, we cleaned up the workshop by moving chairs and trash cans back to their original place. After which my son and I walked back in to the main room.
We had no expectations of the night getting any better.
Until………my son asked Miyamoto to sign the chess board, and that was probably the best moment of the night for me as a father. He took the board, then methodically drew the face of Mario and signed it.
The look on my son’s face was worth me quitting college in my freshman year to pursue a career in photography.
Mario Creator and Nintendo Designer, Shigeru Miyamoto and the boy.