I got back from two and a half months on the road just in time to get a last minute invitation from friends Dave Brosha and Paul Zizka to join them in Banff for a workshop. Emergency laundry. Flights booked – my first in over 8 months. And then 3 long days teaching in some of the most beautiful places in Canada, if not the world. Now I’m home, tired, and really happy to have been a part of something so great, surrounded by wonderful people and wilderness. It’s the first workshop I’ve been a part of for a while and watching thirty photographers play, abandon the rules, and make room from wonder instead of just asking what f/stop to use, was inspiring to me. We spent hours talking, mostly informally, about the real work of the photographer – to be present, to be mindful, and to ever-conscious of the visual language. I couldn’t have asked for a better welcome back to the west. After so long in the Jeep it was nice to get outside my own head a while.
And now I’m back, the pile of errands and emails and business tasks before me, and all I really want to do it be up to my knees in water photographing a sunrise. Lots to do in the coming month before my next trip – two weeks with Polar Bears on Hudson’s Bay. This is the stuff people forget when they’re making their plans to “go pro” – the reality that our day to day is filled with work that’s almost completely unrelated to the making of photographs. It’s still creative work, or it should be if we’re to put our stamp on it, but it’ll now be a month before I look at a camera.
A quick thank you to everyone who bought the 5DayDeal package through me. I know we promote a lot of educational products, most them our own, but this one was too good not to pass up. On top of some great value, the crew that put this thing together (not me) raised almost $200,000 for some worthwhile charities. We ourselves will be sending $10,000 each to the Boma Project and the Kilgoris Project, and I know they’re going to do amazing things with that among people I love. So thank you. Affiliate sales are tricky, but I hope my being up front about these things, and promising to only promote what I believe in, and what I would buy myself, will keep it from feeling icky. It’s also part of how I make my living and support the team that works for me, so thank you.
Comments
Beautiful images in a lovely landscape. You are so lucky to be able to visit such a picturesque area of the world.
Beautiful images David. Love the juxtaposition between the small rock in front of the big mountains – power of nature 🙂
Welcome back David. Great images, my next rip is the Rockies in the winter…maybe event this winter. Some great stuff in that 5 day deal, I bought one myself!
Thanks again for so many wise words on the weekend, particularly the f5 and ‘YOU’RE DOING IT WRONG’ :-). Seriously though, stopping to think about the why of an image and purposefully creating emotion is about the best advice I could have heard.
So great to have you with us David. Can’t wait to get together this winter and explore some more.
Thanks for coming down on such short notice, and for sharing your thoughts on the craft. Extremely inspiring.
I love where this series is going! Here’s to hoping this group of vertical landscapes escapes digital life to moonlight as a book!
Beautiful shots David. Seeing shots like this pains me when I’m tied to the computer. I think I should add a camper to my (growing) wish list! Might kill 2 birds with one stone. Being there for the shot, and being able to work while outta the house.
Super jealous that I wasn’t in Banff too but the results you and others have been sharing look fantastic.
Congrats on the fund raising goals. Some very impressive numbers. 2 million is almost unbelievable.