“The camera is an instrument that teaches people how to see without a camera.“–Dorothea Lange
When I came closer to the small farmhouse, a little dog with a heavy chain ran toward me loudly barking. We were exploring different areas about an hour drive from Havana, and stopped for lunch in an off the road farm area. The “restaurant” was an old building with a large porch in front and a long communal table. While everyone settled down, placed their order, and photographed a chicken with her chicks that came to feast on the scraps from the table, I ventured into the farm. An older man alerted by the dogs barking came out from the house. I greeted him and he showed that there is more to photograph in the backyard. The scenery could have been similar to any farm anywhere in the world. The rotten shed with the chain on the wall, laundry outside with a Nike t-shirt hung over a broken motorcycle. There was a barn with a locked door and its content revealed through the gap by my curious camera lens; a ladder leaning on the small house, and a rooster proudly checking his territory. When I turned around, I saw the owner in front of a red VW minibus without wheels. When he came closer, I photographed his close-up portrait.
Then, I heard an angry woman’s voice. There, in a small window at the back of the house, was a woman with only two teeth sticking out from her mouth. For me, it was a perfect photo opportunity, but despite my requests she refused to be photographed. Since I can only say a few words in Spanish, it did not help much. So I decided to bribe her. I ran back to our group where I had some give-away goodies in my bag. But when I returned with a bar of soap, she refused to take it. Meanwhile, everyone gathered on the little porch and the dog started to bark again.
There I did something which was natural for me, but probably not expected. I sat down on the ground in front of the dog. One of the rules of photography is to get on the same level when photographing animals and children and to always focus on their eyes. The dog calmed down and went back to his barrel.
But something else happened. I no longer saw an old woman, but a beautiful person. This energy transformed both of us. I turned around and had no problem photographing her. She allowed me to create her portrait, wanted to be photographed with her husband, and then asked him to photograph me and her together.
I had to go to eat my lunch and promised to come back with the interpreter. After we returned, the woman told my friend, who spoke Spanish, about her life and said that she loves me and asked her husband to give me their address requesting that I mail them the photos I took. We continued our journey. After the encounter, I photographed hundreds of other people, but when I reviewed the photos from my trip on my computer and saw the woman, a warm feeling filled my heart and I wanted to share this story with you.
Now I would like to interpret how these photos relate to my book “The Mortgage Game: The 5 C’s and How to Connect Them”, where I share my life and my clients’ stories. To see the connection, just follow my photos:
Clients anxious about their ability to get a loan complain about their circumstances, lenders, and appraisers–(bark like this little dog).
Borrowers (chicks) rush to get mortgages with low rates brought to us by the Federal Reserve (the chicken), under the watchful gaze of the government regulators (the rooster, ready to step in at any moment).
Mortgages can be a heavy burden or uplifting (the chain), connecting borrowers to the house (the shed).
Borrowers have a lot of “stuff” to deal with (the laundry) and sometimes there are issues that require correction or repairs (the motorcycle).
But first we need to evaluate the Collateral (the house). To check how additions (the ladder) will affect the condition and value. All of this is under the watchful eye of the regulators (the rooster).
We know that there is more than meets the eye (closed barn doors).
Lenders need to look behind the closed door (the stuff in the barn) to reveal what is hidden–the Credit.
After that we will take a look from a distance at the person to evaluate how he/she can handle monthly obligations (environmental portraits)–The Capacity.
We also need to check clients’ ability to save money, which is only possible through the close look (close-up portraits).–The Capital.
After we evaluate all the documents presented to us and see the whole picture (the farm) we know how to help the borrowers, and comply with the regulators (the rooster) —the Character.
As a result, the loan is approved, funded, and everyone is happy (loving embrace with a beautiful human being).
After the mortgage is in place, everyone calms down. (The little frightened dog in us can hide again and go back into his barrel.)
THE END.
P.S.
My next e-book, “Mortgage Solutions for Smart People: 5 Easy Ways to Get Your Loan Approved”, is going to be out in about two months. But please read “The Mortgage Game: The 5 C’s and How to Connect Them” to get a better understanding of what it takes to get a loan approval.
P.P.S.
Are you joining me, my family, and my friends in Cuba this December?
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