The road has always called to me; perhaps it’s part of bearing the last name, duChemin, all my life, which means “of the road.” It’s in my blood too, born to a mother who was a nurse in the RAF when she met my father, a Canadian soldier, both stationed in Cyprus in the late 1960s. Here on the road life gets simpler for me. It fosters wonder, too; full of the unexpected, there are new shadows. light, and moments, around every corner. Only 6 days into this trip across Canada, we’re 3700km closer to Newfoundland and Labrador than when we started and I can already feel myself waking up. Hard to describe, but free from the daily familiarity and routine, I feel more alive. I rise to the sounds of nature, the ravens and loons are my alarm clock. I’m more aware of the weather and the changes in light. I feel more connected.
In a way, this trip is the completion of the trip I took with Jessie, my Land Rover, over 3 years ago, before it was cut short by my fall in Italy. I had wanted to circle the continent, making Newfoundland my easternmost stop, and spending some time there. It never happened. So now I’m trying again, called by the vastness and ruggedness of that coast and the remoteness of Labrador. I have no real plans, no real sense of what I’ll find. Just a calling that I can’t ignore. I’m going with the usual worries, that I won’t see anything that translates to a photograph, that whatever words I write won’t land, or that some accident might sabotage the journey. That’s happened before.
So far I’ve left the Leica in the bag and have had tremendous fun with my iPhone. Before I left I purchased an izzi Gadgets izzi Slim (the Orbit Pro is similar but made of metal and costs $250 instead of $130) iPhone case with 4 lenses on it. The lenses sit on a rotating unit and give me a 2x telephoto, a wide-angle, a fisheye, and a macro if I unscrew an element from the wide-angle. I’m in love with this thing. It gives me real lens flare, lots of options, and – most importantly – a sense of play.
I just heard that the box of books we sent Amazon has arrived. If you’re wanting a paperback copy of A Beautiful Anarchy, you can get it there for $14.00 and I think if you order $35 or more, shipping is free. You can get that here on Amazon.com.
Comments
Thanks for sharing your travel with us David! You’re a legend and we all envy you! Keep on trucking(jeeping) 🙂
Safe travels – enjoy the road.
Have a fantastic trip, David!
And we are waiting (at least some months more) “A Beautiful anarchy” in spanish! 🙂
Thanks a lot for being you.
Leo
It’s great to hear from you so soon, David. I love the few-on-grass shot, with all the shape, color, and distance combinations.
Best wishes for a wonderful trip, no matter where or how it leads you.
Marke
I use the olloclip lenses and I have also found that it is fantastic to travel with the setup. I also have the glif which give me a tripod mount and a holder for when I want to read hands free with the iphone.
Have a great trip across the country and safe travels.
I just love shooting with my iPhone, if for no other reason than it’s usually what I have with me.
Travel safely, my friend. I look forward to having you and Emily down my way some day soon.