The Foreign Service Journal, May 2022

38 MAY 2022 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL market my images through a British stock agency, Alamy, and through my own website at www.cecilimages.com. Because my 10 overseas Foreign Service assignments were all in Muslim countries (six Arab, four in sub-Saharan Africa), I initially focused my attention on Islamic culture, benefiting from the department’s having enabled me to learn Swahili, French and Arabic along the way. But as a good part of the Arab world became more politically volatile during our invasion of Iraq and the events of the “Arab Spring” and its aftermath, I began to cast my gaze further afield. After returning from Libya, I’ve made trips to Nepal, Zanzibar, Cuba, New Zealand, Cambodia, Myanmar, India, Senegal, South Africa, Morocco, Indonesia, Peru, Hondu- ras, England, Tanzania, Malaysia, Thailand, Bhutan and Singa- pore, plus two trips to China and two to Mexico. “Navarathri Celebrations.” A priest performs a ritual prayer before a Hindu deity at Temple Sri Vadapathira Kaliamman in Singapore. I went back to my community college to learn Spanish; and after twice taking every course they offered, I applied for admission to George Mason University as an undergraduate—successfully, thank goodness!—so I could take a third-year Spanish course. (Senior citizens in Virginia benefit from free tuition at our state universities.) To augment that, I spent weeks in Oaxaca, Mexico, and Antigua, Gua- temala, studying in schools that accept foreigners by the week. My camera was always nearby. b While a cataclysmic event moved me to digital photography, the market for photographic images has experienced the erosion phenomenon. The proliferation of digital “point-and-shoots” and cell phones has had the effect of flooding the market with images that many editors and publishers now decide are “good enough” for their purposes. The prices for stock photographic images have fallen considerably in the last 10 years, making it a struggle to recoup travel expenses and make a small profit by producing and selling them. It is easier when I can find an outlet for an article to accompany my images, but it’s the pho- tography I most enjoy. I couldn’t recommend this work to anyone who does not have a good pension as a safety net. But with the freedom the pen- sion provides, I’ve found that photography offers me wonderful outlets for artistic creativity and for continued learning about the cultures of the world. My new professional associations have introduced me to entirely new networks of creative and knowl- edgeable individuals. My health is great. Prospects for the next five to 10 years look good. n CHARLESO.CECIL With the freedom the pension provides, I’ve found that photography offers me wonderful outlets for artistic creativity and for continued learning about the cultures of the world.