For once, I’m not joking (Although, despite talking about a serious matter, I’m still me, so there will be laughter involved.).  My friend George – aka OnyxPhotography – was one of the best known glamour photographers in the world.  He had playmates flying in from around the world, just to shoot in his small living room studio (and of course, the beach).  He was very polite… often “the quiet type”… and I always enjoyed making him step out of his comfort zone.  I created his website (http://onyxphotography.com/), he shot my business card photos (so… I guess my biz card is now a collector’s piece), and I even introduced him to his long-time roommate, Elias.   But let’s start this with a laugh-  this is a piece someone showed me recently that I thought is relevant

Why is that relevant? Well… for one, he killed himself, as did the dude in the video.  However, George was a lot more thorough.. he didn’t hang himself, he used a gun, pills, and I believe there was something else as well… can’t remember now (this happened a few short weeks ago).  He had contacted his ex girlfriend for 3 weeks prior… giving all sorts of cries for help.  He was emailing her photos of guns, knives, and pills on a regular basis (where prior to that, not only did he not do that, but it’s not the type of thing you’d expect from him).  He also kept telling her not to tell Elias, and not to tell the cops.  That’s kind of like the guy in the clip being beligerent when the other guy was asking if there were issues.

She didn’t call anyone or tell anyone, because he told her not to… and he killed himself.  Clearly, the girl does not understand what a cry for help is.  I don’t know the girl, and don’t mean to attack her… but at the same time, I’m not going to be all polite about it, as one of the world’s most talented glamour photographers is dead… a person is dead… a friend of mine is dead…. all of which could have been avoided with one phone call.

So folks… if anyone you know makes a joke about kiling themselves… or sends you messages that are clearly out of the norm… ask them to talk about it… call professional help… or at least use Google (or your favorite search engine)-  there’s a lot of suicide prevention tips out there!

You can see Some of George’s work on his OneModelPlace.com Portfolio (which will be kept up forever in tribute)

I have a bunch of pics taken by George of me.  I’ll just post one side of my business card however, as George always told everyone he doesn’t do group shots… so this is extremely rare.

A rare "group photo" taken by Onyx Photography

George was not just a photographer.  He was also a human… people always focus on an occupation.  There are many that will miss him.

My heart goes out to Elias most of all.  I introduced them,  and they were very close friends till the end.

One of my ex-girlfriends had a brother that killed himself.  It’s a sad topic, and it affected many people.  Some cases are more preventable than others.. but if you have a basic knowledge, you can buy some time.  Don’t be afraid to call in expert help… it really is a matter of life and death… and while you may think that “Oh… I might embarass them… or get them in trouble….”  – that’s still less trouble than them being dead.

Here is a link to Google “suicide prevention” the 1st few links all seem amazing.  Please browse a few in case you should ever have to save a life.