![\"nat-geo-article\"](\"https:\/\/www.brentblack.com\/cart\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/07\/nat-geo-article.jpg\")
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God bless Roff Smith! Roff is a writer for National Geographic<\/em> and other\u00a0worthy publications. Roff first contacted me in March of 2005, inquiring about\u00a0a hat for himself. One email led to another and it wasn\u2019t long before\u00a0Roff found himself virtually ensnared by fine strands of paja toquilla<\/em> and\u00a0escalating dreams of The Perfect Panama Hat. As a Man of Conscience, he also\u00a0became intrigued by my efforts to save the art of fine hat weaving in\u00a0Montecristi. Brilliant! Roff flew from London to Honolulu in September to see\u00a0for himself how the hats are blocked. I am pleased to report that he survived a\u00a0week of my cooking and coffee-making. Roff and I will meet up again in November\u00a0in Montecristi. He wants to see it all. Naturally, he intends to write the\u00a0definitive book on the topic. Brilliant!<\/p>\n Yes, those are my photos. And yes, I am at least as excited as you might\u00a0imagine to have my photos published in National Geographic<\/em>. As a man of lofty\u00a0ambitions, from my very first shot in 1988 I imagined my hat weaver photos in\u00a0National Geographic<\/em>. I feel like I\u2019ve been on assignment for 18 years.\u00a0I\u2019m glad Roff finally let them know I\u2019ve been working for them in\u00a0silence and anonymity for all these years. Wow. National Geographic<\/em>. Praise the\u00a0Lord and pass the zoom lens.<\/p>\n