My friend, I’ve got nothing this week. I’ve stared at this screen for what seems like hours, and my mind keeps getting distracted by the way my heart hurts.
It’s been a tough year so far. The pandemic. So many lives and livelihoods lost. So much fear and anxiety. And now the murder of George Floyd, the subsequent protests in the U.S., and all the painful feelings that have accompanied this. It’s just too much and the idea of coming up with something clever right now about photography is overwhelming and just feels like the wrong direction to me.
I said I’ve got nothing, but that’s not true. I’ve got so much. We’re healthy. We’re safe. We’re undeniably privileged to be where and who we are. And I’ve got gratitude. So much gratitude. I’m thankful I can still do what I do. I can still serve people like you and though this weekend I’m calling in heart-sick, I’ll be back at it soon.
I’ve been asked for my thoughts on the riots and #blacklivesmatter, but I think now is a time for listening, and I hope it has long been abundantly clear that I will always fall on the side of compassion, justice, the oppressed and the broken. I just don’t have words right now. But I don’t want to be silent, and like so many of you, when words don’t come, I use pictures.
It’s probably nothing more than a token, but I want to give you a digital copy of my last coffee table book: Pilgrims + Nomads, which you can download here.
Why Pilgrims + Nomads?
Because there’s not a white face represented in those pages and they are filled with people of beauty, creativity, wit, great love and kindness, wisdom, and everything the best of humanity has to offer no matter what colour the packaging.
They are filled with people I know and love, and also many with whom I’ve only shared the briefest of moments. And they are the ones I think of and stand with as best I can, my heart filled with sadness that the whole world doesn’t yet see them as they are.
I’m expressing this incompletely, I knew I’d struggle for words. I’m hoping the photographs show them the way I saw them. I’m hoping there’s a reminder in there that we are all pilgrims, and all of us nomads.
And because I believe the best response to gratitude is generosity, I’d like to give you a chance to win one of 3 copies of the signed limited edition printed book as well.
I wish I could do more, but if you’d like a chance to win one of the few remaining copies, just leave a comment here on this blog post (be sure to leave your email where it asks for one so I can get in touch with you if you win) and I’ll do the draw next weekend on Sunday, June 14.
I’m sorry I don’t have more for you this week, but if you know me at all, you know I won’t waste your time faking it. Our connection means the world to me. Thank you for your support and for your patience. I hope you and yours are safe and well.
If you’d like your free digital copy of Pilgrims + Nomads, click HERE.
If you’d like to put your name in to win one of 3 signed, limited edition printed copies of Pilgrims + Nomads, leave a comment below. (UPDATED: this is now over. Nancy Hunt, Todd Beltz, and Deborah Kauffeld are the 3 lucky folks getting a copy of Pilgrims & Nomads. Thank you all for your very kind words in the comments.)
Courage and love to you,
David
Comments
Just Beautiful, Dave.
Love from India!
The Marisons – http://marisonphotography.in/
Excellent article & a good read. Thanks for sharing!
vos paroles ont toujours beaucoup de force humainement et photographiquement. MERCI.
You speak with sincerity and empathy, truly a refreshing change from what we hear from politicians and the media. I’m taking the liberty of including two sites that speak to mankind’s ignorance of the life systems and another on beneficial viruses.
*ttps://medium for com/@stevenharp_10993/the-meaning-of-the-pandemic-9cf236209a17
*ttps://www.bbc dot com/future/article/20200617-what-if-all-viruses-disappeared
David. As always, even when you don’t think so, you are actually saying a lot. Your words wether written on your blog, in your books or spoken on your podcast are a continual source of heartfelt inspiration and motivation. That you give away your creative endeavours is a further testament to your kindness and generosity and for that you have my thanks. Stay safe and well. All the best from Scotland…..
Thank you for sharing with all of us. I listen to what you say (Beautiful Anarchy) and I have to listen again. I read what you write, and I have to read again. So eloquent, such depth. And then there are your images…
I can’t even, dude.
Your work is beautiful.
I wish I could take you out for a dinner and a beer.
Thank you for your generous gift David it is truly appreciated and will be a fine addition to my collection of your books. Pilgrims And Nomads Digital Edition photographs are as always beautiful telling a meaningful story and one that the rest of the world could learn from showing a people whom in our eyes have nothing but to them have everything, where did we go wrong.
Peace and safe journeys, be well.
wonderful Photographs. Thank you so much for sharing. Enjoying your content and what you say resonates. Thank you.
Your nomads remind me of Salgado but they seem more joyful than his migrants. Thank you for these uplifting images.
Many thanks for these photographs, they are like a sermon about humanity for me.
Love your photos.
love your spirit.
Thanks for sharing with us .
Your images always show the best in people of all races which I appreciate. It does not matter where they live or how people live everyone has dignity which you always try to show. Thank You. Also Thank You for your generosity in sharing your work.
Thank you for this. Your work and words speak volumes.
Thank you David for all the things you do for the creative community.
Creativity is the way we can express our feelings, give room to a dialogue, ignite a real change!
When I forget how much joy photography brings me, you are the artist who, without knowing it, allows me to taste it again. I always go back to your words and pictures for comfort and encouragement.
Thank you, David.
Nathalie
Beautifully stated… or should I say understated. Thank you so much for the copy of your book.
Hello David,
I am new to your work but it has made quite an impression on me in a short while. Thank you for creating art that truly reflects humanity.
Anthony
David,
Thank you for sharing. I feel as if I was standing next to you while you were making these images that are so full of life.
Thanks so much for your generosity. Love your work
David I appreciate your vision and the way you share your stories. I always look forward to your posts sharing your wealth of knowledge with the sponges of the craft. Please never stop doing what you do so well..!!
Thank you, David.
I wish we could all see as you do.
Chuck Lotts
Hello David, Thank you so much for your compassion, creativity, and willingness to share your talents and yourself with others. Your book is beautiful — thank you. I’m a very private person, so usually don’t share my pain with others. However, in this time of so much pain around the world, I decided to share. I ache with every parent, child, spouse, friend, relative who could not be with their loved one when they died — either from the coronavirus or any other tragedy. The images we have seen on the media of families in so much pain because they could not be there to hold that loved one during their last few moments is heart-wrenching. I know, because my son (41 years old and living alone) died in March — not coronavirus — apparently GI bleeding — he died alone and was found on the floor of his apartment by the police doing a welfare check when he did not show up at work. He didn’t ask me for help, and I didn’t even know he was sick. Every day, I think, “If only I had known. If only I had been there to help him. If only I had been able to hold his hand and tell him goodbye.” I’ll never understand why it happened. I can only continue on because of my belief that he is pain-free and happy now. I pray that all of those people around the world who have lost loved ones, especially those not being able to hold them at the end, can have some peace also. I’m trying hard to find beauty and happiness in the world, but some days it’s so hard. Thank you for caring about all of us.
David, thanks for your kindness in this act of generosity. It may be small in the enormity of the World’s problems but we can only do what we can do. You’ve let your light shine; Plate 11.
I really enjoy your work and am encouraged by it.
Rowan.
I’ve read almost every of your books and I cherish your advice. Thank you for sharing your work and knowledge so generously.
Thanks for the digital copy of Pilgrims and Nomads David. What better way to communicate your message.
Thanks for your generosity David
Thank you for the beautiful ebook!
Thank you for the beautiful ebook— I have really been enjoying it!
Hi David
To be honest, yours is the only photography communication I actually READ every time. Thanks for your insight, warmth and humanity. Still hoping for that drink in Nairobi sometime soon.
Tamara
Hi David,
Thank you very much for the digital copy of Pilgrims + Nomads. It is so inspirering!
Have a great day,
Olivier
Thank you David for your always honest view on things and the inspiration you give us. I have always appreciated your always kind and humble view on humanity that you let shine through your photography. And thanks for giving us an other outstanding book!
I am always moved by your photographs and your words. Thank you for sharing this beautiful e-book with us.
Merci David pour ce document très à propos dans le contexte actuel.
Thank you David for your honesty and generosity. And thank you for all that you do to keep us inspired.
Thank you for all you do David. Your books have inspired me in so many areas of my life.
I thank you for the work you do. This has been a difficult time for us all. And as we all have done in the past when difficult times arise, we pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off and keep moving forward. Looking forward to future photography adventures.
Hi David,
You continue to amaze and inspire me, even when you’ve got nothing…you still do.
“Well timed silence has more eloquence than speech.”
You are a man of great humility and generosity, a man of heart. (Hope it won’t be hurting for too long) 😉
Take care!
Thank you for your words and the digital book. I think we’re all learning how to listen and to reflect.
A beautiful picture says it all and much more
In these dark and turbulent times in America, there have been so many images that are witness to this time. Listening is indeed a high priority if we are open to learning and changing to become a more just and equitable society. I have admired your work and find great inspiration from your images and your words. You have been a light for me on my photographic journey and I am grateful. May we find our way to brighter days for all.
David, thank you for always reminding us of our shared humanity through your photographs.
Dear David –
Like many folks, over the last two weeks I’ve received scores of messages in my inbox from people that I follow on social media, influencers I admire, and organizations I have supported in the past. Most of these messages came from a place of sincere caring, concern, empathy, and hope. Many messages were painful to read as they reflected a common sense of despair. Some were pleas for information and resources to better understand and contribute to solutions. A few, like yours, mirror how I’ve felt each time a black person is killed by a “law enforcement” officer and that officer subsequently escapes accountability. Each time this has happened (and it has been too many to count), my heart aches, I struggle to find my voice, and I fail again and again to understand. And after each incident, I’m left with a sense of hopelessness that echoes what I experienced when I received your email: Sometimes words simply fail us. “I got nothing.” Sometimes it’s just that simple initially. I got nothing.
Words are fragile things. At the same time words are so powerful that they can move us forward in the creation of a world in which every human is treated with dignity and respect, enjoy equal justice under the law, and able to take from the full banquet of opportunities available in our communities.
Yes, words are powerful, but images are sometimes even more powerful. As an active follower of your many channels of expression over the years, your beautiful images have inspired me to be a better photographer and a keen observer. Through your work, I am inspired to give more than I receive.
Thank you for always opening your heart to share.
Savannah
Chicago, IL USA
Thank you for sharing this visual art book, giving context to the reality of discrimination that continues to prevail in our world. And for motivating us, to make more “Photography”.
Thanks a lot for your words which help and of course the free digital copy.
Thank you for the free digital book, and for standing on the side of justice and compassion. They say that prejudice rarely survives experience, and photography is a way to give people new experiences, see the humanity of others, and overcome prejudice.
Hi David,
I am most unlikely audience being that I am in my early 20s. Still, I have a great appreciation for your work and words. Thank you for sharing the digital copy of Pilgrims + Nomads. Photography is super important in rewriting the narrative of Black and Brown people all over the world. The time is now, more than ever to share experiences that have broaden our world view and bring us together as people. We still rise!
Bonjour, Hello, from Montreal,
I hope that you are well.
Thanks for the book. I hadn’t seen this book before, even though I have read some other books, that I enjoyed, for what they say about photography.
Pilgrims + Nomads : this book is different, it seems to me. More like a story, which is also a meditation, but not on photography. More like a pilgrimage, in a sense, in a society, different from yours. The photographs are beautiful, and bring a sense of mystery, but also of peace. I appreciate the fact that these photographs are in black and white, so as to help us go to what is essential, in the people you have met, and the places they inhabit.
It is also a lesson on photography, by the story you build for us, with the people you have met.
A great book, to bring us to reflect on people and how they live. Thanks again.
Dear David,
thank you for this book.
These pictures replace all the words that could be said.
Really beautiful.
Thank you so much.
Great Book Many Thanks for the download
Kind Regards John
Oh, dear David,
first of all thank you for the email you wrote. It is not easy to find people like you, willing to declare their fragility but going on to be open to others at the same time.
It has been, and continues to be, a very difficult period and yet we must remember that we have been privileged. I was born in 1961 and lived in a period of growing prosperity. I live in Italy and despite the years of terrorism I can say that life has certainly been easier for me than that of my parents. They married in Salerno in 1944 and then moved to Rome to start a new life, going through the rubble of the ongoing war. The pandemic is perhaps the first real test to which history is subjecting my generation. I can see that now people just want to go back to their life as it was before. However, I believe it is important to draw a lesson from pandemy and that life should start to be different from before. We cannot continue to persevere in the same mistakes and I believe that a change is necessary. I am passionate about photography but I have never had a rather clear idea of ”what to do” with photography. I have decided that – for what little is within my possibilities – in the future I will dedicate myself to documenting those realities in which the ferments of a change for our planet can be found (blue and green economy, agriculture and so on). Stay healthy David and good luck.
Thank you for your inspiring work and moving words.
Thanks very much for letting me download your excellent ebook – muchly appreciated.
Even when you think you have got nothing, you give us something David. It is a time of listening, of learning, of reflecting. We each need to find our own path through this.
Well said, David – I appreciate your thoughts.
Indeed this period is exceedingly challenging. I liked your idea of making it at time to listen. I will work more diligently at my listening skills now. Thanks too for the download gift of your book Pilgrims + Nomads. I have to spend some more time with it, but the images are wonderful and inspiring. Thank you.
You may have run of words, but the pictures are poems.
David. Thank you for your kind offer. I would love to be in the drawing for a free signed edition of your book. I have been enjoying “The Heart of the Photograph”. It’s perfect for reading in short stretches while I recover from hip replacement surgery and can’t focus for longer reads.
Lost for words, like yourself.
Thank you.
Thank you very much for the wonderful gift of the digital book David.
I was moved by your obvious love for and your connection with the peoples you document in the book.
Perhaps what I mainly take away from it after reading and looking through twice, is the way that for me you have reinforced the oneness of humanity, that under the veneer of culture and colour we share everything that is important
David – your transparency, wisdom and way with words (as well as photos!) is raw, compassionate, and above all challenging for us all to inspect our own hearts and minds. Stay safe.
Thank you for your compassion and kind words David!
Dear David,
As always you speak from your heart; your words resonate with the soul.
Reaching out my hand in response…may you, and all, feel not alone in this time.
Thank you for your compassion and generosity.
“….now is a time of listening …..”
“ …..my heart filled with sadness that the whole world doesn’t yet see them as they are.”
Those words translate your inner feelings and your will to response at these tough moments we all are going to.
PS. Your words have touched so many and it’s so good to read their thoughts and feelings. Somehow we are close each other even we don’t know and live geographically apart.
Where words fail, music speaks. Hans Christian Andersen
And in your case, and many a photographer we speak with our photographs.
I live in South Africa, and we are still healing from our past #blacklivesmatter
Respect!
It’s true. We don’t have nothing. We have a lot to be thankful for. And we have a lot to give. This pandemic and other recent events have shown us that we have a responsibility to the world around us, to make it better for each other and for future generations. I’m actually thankful for the opportunity that the lockdown has given me to introspect about my life, about the things that are really important, and about how little we really need to have a fulfilling life. Hang in there. We’ll come out of this stronger and gentler.
Just to say thank you for the pdf of Pilgrims & Nomads. Black and White is so pure. No distraction. I have long cherished my copy of Mirella Ricciardi’s Vanishing Africa. I spent 6 months hitchhiking from Kenya to South Africa in 1977 as result of that book. Your wonderful photos bring back memories of smiling African faces and encourage me to make a return trip.
Sometimes there are no words.
Thankyou for the download of your beautiful book which says so much
Thank you for being open and honest.
Remember that it is not the colour of the skin that makes a person.
We are all the same within.
Greetings to all your readers from Perth Western Australia.
David, thank you for the digital copy of Pilgrims + Nomads. Perusing its photos, it is driven home to me that we’re all the same in the eyes of God who made us all and loves us all. Having been a high schooler in the 60s, I blindly thought that we had made more progress than we actually have. We still have so far to go! Thank you for all your excellent work.
Thank you for the words!
Thank you for sharing your book with all of us. It’s so hard to know what to do or say right now but maybe pictures are a universal connection.
This rocks. Thanks for this opportunity David. Moreso, what a wonderful amount of scrolling to get to the bottom. Celebrate on the impact and reach you have.
No words are needed during these trying times but you certainly have much more than nothing. Your photographs, your compassion and your love towards others speaks volumes. Thank you David for sharing your vision and your heart with all of us.
Very much appreciate the digital copy of your book ~ but would also love a hard copy! Your work is always inspiring ~ thanks for all you do. I agree right now it’s good to listen.
I appreciate your deep compassion and sensitivity David. I can’t wait to read Pilgrims + Nomads once I get a better internet connection. Thank you for your generousity!
Thank you for you generosity.
Best wishes,
Warren
David, You are a Gem of the Photography World, I love your work, your passion for your craft and your way with words is a joy, inspirational. It must be extremely satisfying to be welcomed into so many lives and then to share it with the photography world. I am a dedicated follower of yours, for the love of the photograph. Wish you well.
As always, but now more than ever, thank you for showing us the beautiful diversity that makes this world worth living in.
Hi David;
To the old(er), the middle aged, and to the young(er), your work resonates in different ways.
I’d like my grandson (age 14)and granddaughter (age 12) to be inspired; to view the community around them; and to see that ‘community”writ large extends well beyond our shores.
Your work, your thoughts, and your book(s) could well be the catalysts that inspire their curiosity such that they may come to understand that they are members of a global community. Should that happen, who knows what impact they may one day have in their community – how and where they perceive it to be.
I see that potential in your photographs. Maybe they will also.
Hi David,
Your thoughtfulness and generosity is much appreciated.
Judith
Thank you for sharing the digital copy of your beautiful book David. And thank you for your heartfelt words of compassion. Your incredible photographs are a striking reminder of our shared humanity!
No words. Just tears.
What a splendid book!
When I read it, I even considered not taking any more pictures. But I wont give up. I will continue to study and try.
In addition to mastering the techniques, you give us a lot of sensitivity.
Congratulations! Thank you so much for sharing with us.
I’ve enjoyed your words and your photographs. Thanks for sharing them with us.
Wisdom is knowing when to speak knowledge. Too many people are sharing words before thinking and it’s exacerbating an already desperate situation. Showing love, compassion, and empathy for the oppressed, and gratitude and generosity in life is far more powerful than merely posting words on a blog. What the world needs now is for people of different views to seek relationships with those who look different and think differently. No one is changing minds or opinions on social media. It’s through relationships and listening with love that we will truly find healing. Thank you for sharing your wisdom instead of your words.
A big THANK YOU for such a generous gift! Your great work continues to inspire me. I appreciate your honest, moving words that have come from the heart. In a way one alone feels helpless but together we can effect positive change. Your words have given me hope. Take care.
Hi David,
Your obvious love of the people you photograph shines out from your images. Even when you say, “I’ve got nothing,” I still find your words and images inspirational. It makes me realise that photographic “work” shouldn’t be that at all, it should be “passion”.
Thank you for sharing so much.
Anne
Hi David,
I was going to respond to the email version of this but since everyone was obedient and responded here, I’ll make it public. I think we need more people in this world with your heart and mind. I’m always struck by your genuine humanity and kindness. Thank you for reminding us that these things still exist.
Rick
Thank you for sharing your thoughts at this very strange time in our history – 2020 is proving to be a very challenging year for everyone. We all look forward to hearing your voice and thoughts sometime in the not too distant future, but until then, take care.
Everyone is entitled to live with respect and dignity. These are fundamental requirements of true civilisation. Anything less detracts from our humanity. We must all seek to drive change through the example of our own behaviour.
Thank you, David for providing a source of reason and inspiration to so many. The resources that you provide without monetary compensation make you a shining beacon among photographers.
David, your thoughts are always moving. Your humanity is so deep. When the moments are dark, you bring me inspiration. Thanks a lot !!! 🙏
Beautifully expressed. A book of beautiful people. Thank you for what you do and for sharing it this way.
Hi David,
Thank you for the heart-felt comments you shared this week. Your words swooped up what I (and so many others) seem to be feeling as we try to stretch towards the light. Thank you, too, for your beautiful book. You offered so much. Elaine in Montreal.
I share your dismay with all that has and is happening. I too have few words to offer about the last several weeks. Our society has lost its way and we need to find the right path to follow. We need honesty and integrity in our society, but alas is sorely absent. I don’t know how to get it back. there’s more but Ill end it there.
Blessings
Thank you for this short post reminding us that it’s ok to not have the words right now and to just take time and listen and appreciate what we have. I always value your perspective.
Kyle
https://krnaturalphoto.com/
Hi David, thanks for your words, I agree we have to be grateful! Thanks for your photo and the 3 books, I want one copy! fruedav@gmail.com
It’s so refreshing to hear someone say they don’t know what to say in an era when so many dive in with immediate social media soundbites…. love your honest approach across all platforms…
We can stand up and say “enough” and demand better from our representatives at all levels of government. Thank you for standing up too
You have such a giving and sincere heart. Thank you for your empathy, understanding, and heart.
I really appreciate your doing this. It is incredibly generous.
In just a few words you managed to express how so many of us are feeling right now. While we need people in positions of leadership to demonstrate that positive change is possible on a grand scale, we must do our part on a scale that we can manage. Demonstrating that our hearts are open to all, being willing to actively listen, small acts of kindness, are all things that each of us is capable of. Thank you for being you.
Hey David, I appreciate your work and they way you teach on „The Travelling Lens“ I like your Newsletters a lot but now I’m touched how you deal with the current disasters around the globe and your feelings about it. To reveal your inside feelings and struggling for words about the disrespect towards others (this happens worldwide) is an act of bravery and greatness. The free download option of „pilgrims & nomads“ is a big contribution to more understanding of people who are not privileged by white skin. I’m sure it will open the minds of many people and I‘ll show around the book among my family members and friends.
Thank you so much
Peter from Austria
PS: If I can get a signed copy of the book it would be great but if not – the above mentioned will stay true!! 😉
Today’s challenging environment has touched each of us in ways that will continue to reveal themselves day by day and year by year. We cannot remain untouched or disengaged. The humanity of your work places you at the forefront of those who see, who care, who want to make a difference. Thank you. It’s okay to call in heart-sick occasionally; Rod McKuen echoed the power of your position:
“It’s nice sometimes
to open up the heart a little
and let some hurt come in.
It proves you’re still alive.”
Rod McKuen, “Listen to the Warm”
Thanks for your leadership and wisdom – your insights continue to inspire my own efforts.
Thank you David. I greatly admire your work, have followed your newsletters for a number of years, and have most of your books. As a fine art nature photographer myself, I usually shy away from portraying people, and focus on nature and the natural, if anything trying to show the natural world without man or his impacts.
But I greatly admire your ability to connect with people, convey your empathy and Identification with them, and portray people, particularly not of our safe, privileged world that we live in, and show their great grace and dignity.
Like you I am heartbroken and have no words. Thank you for expressing in however small a way what I and many others feel.
You always say so much with a gesture, a look, a moment in time. Deep from within your heart…..I walk near you…..Thank you for the opportunity. Blessings James
Such a beautiful image. You don’t need to say anything – you’ve been saying it all through your images for many years now. Thank you for sharing your compassion with us.
Now is an excellent time to sit back and listen, and absorb. There will be more time to talk later, and it will be better discussion for having listened.
Thank-you for sharing. Tough times for many people. Your photos are beautiful. You do what I aspire to do….tell a story with an image. thanks again.
When i came back from my extended stay in africa, i archived my thousands of safari shots, and started printing up the portraits of my students, their children, their spouses, their homes. The beauty of their smiles, their mischief, their humor – the stories of amazing women and men who transformed my understanding of what it means to be a human being. ….. I would treasure a copy of your book David, to accompany the digital version i already have!
You say you have nothing, no words, but those that you chose moved me greatly David. Thank you.
David, thank you for all your work. Digital is nice, but I much prefer holding a book. Thanks again!
My heart aches. Your words and photographs help the healing. Thank you.
I have no words either. So I listen and educate myself.
Thank you.
Love, Compassion, Awareness, Understanding, Acknowledgment, Mindfulness. No apology is needed. One must remain hopeful.
Sometimes, an eloquent silence speaks volumes. It is hard to share that eloquence virtually, but the gift of your lovely book speaks as well. Thank you for the space to share the ache in my heart.
Thanks for everything you’ve done for us, David.
Now is the time for us privileged white guys to shut up and listen. And for those of us who can, to give others a space to express themselves.
Peace,
Thomas
For not having anything, you definitely had something. So beautifully written. Thank you for sharing your thoughts and your book.
David thanks for your continued support and education to all of us! keep it up!
Hi there, David.
Hope you’re safe and hopeful.
I’d like to thank you, very much, for your positive, encouraging words on how privileged we all are for being and making. Earlier today, as i was enduring another painful working day doing something i absolutely hate, i was trying to remain positive by thinking on all the good things that i have and love in my life. The things that make me smile. After getting home, i checked my emails and i was in for a great surprise. Not because it’s surprising coming from you, ‘cos it isn’t, you’ve proved your generosity in countless ways before and continue to do with each newsletter, each podcast, but because, on top of the already wonderful words that reinforced my feelings of gratitude and happiness, you gifted me with something wonderful that i’ve been wanting for some time. I’ll be inspired tremendously by it, like all your books that i’ve read have done before. So many friendly, beautiful faces, such a gift full of humanity to give. I will enjoy it with all my senses, i will study it. It’s a privilege like it was yours, i’m sure, for being there, meeting these wonderful people.
Such a positive note that will last through these strange, painful times of anxiety.
Again, thank you so much.
Love and all the best for you and your loved ones.
Sérgio Vasco
David,
Thanks for being one of us — and maybe your photographs can move even just one of them.
Keith
Peace. Thank you…
G’day from Australia, David! Thank you for your thoughtful gift, one which will be looked through and studied many times.
Here we are, safely tucked away in our self centered cocoons, worrying if our internet speed is fast enough or why our refrigerator no longer talks to us. Not realising the multitude of blessings we have, never mind trying to count them. You bring us pictures of a world we will likely never experience or even think of. You are a true ambassador for awareness of humanity, by displaying yours as well! Bravo! 🙂 george
Pilgrims + Nomads seems like a book of our generation.
We’ve always had these displaced or wandering peoples but with today’s media they have been viewed in our living rooms. You can’t miss or dismiss them. This is the new reality. With the pandemic and social unrest in North America it’s a matter of time before this upheaval affects all of us. We may have Pilgrims + Nomads in North America!
I can relate to you, I feel the same. Paralized. We are going through difficult times… Thanks for the digital copy!
Brother,
Thank you for the ebook. I am enjoying it.
Yes, it is a tough and trying time we are facing. It is heartbreaking to watch the scene unfold daily. As I heard someone say, evil brings in deceit, injustice and chaos. My late mother used to tell me about the turbulent times of the 1960s when she faced the civil rights movement. At 55 years of age, as an African American male, I never thought I would “live out” a similar scene. The difference is, it’s locally recorded for all to see immediately. The roles played are the same, just in a different costumes. The weapon of choice is still skin color. In biblical times, being “Christian” carried bad connotations by the Roman establishment. Today, being black carries this stigma, with some police officers being the establishment. In Hollywood, Bruce Lee faced racism in the 1970s, never cast as the “star,” but rather the co-star. Here was an actor with critical acclaim in his home country, but in the U.S. at that time, not so much. Where is the script for humanity? Who plays the lead character? Who qualifies for the role?
Deep and honest conversations should be at the forefront on the path to healing. The government is not the answer. I believe change has to start in the home, then the community and finally to government. It is systematic and has to take a systematic pathway out. You often teach in photographs to look for: lines, lights and moments. I see that as lines (family lines/community), lights (ideas and discovery), moments (share with others). As Condoleezza Rice said recently, “Let us talk with, not at, each other – in our homes, schools, workplaces and places of worship. As united Americans, we can turn our fears into faith, hope, compassion and action.” The country can heal David, if it wants to.
(Trumpet exit-Capsicum Tower by Paulo Bottoms)
As a white person of privilege, i.e., being a white person, I feel unworthy of participating in, well really, anything other than crying. I did post a black square on #blackouttuesday on my Instagram but it felt false: was I just doing what everyone else was doing? will my Insta post actually create change? I need to make this more real for me and the people who need me to live up to my “speech”.
I’m thinking that if I win this book, I should raffle it off and send the money (I should also match it) to a local group affected by #blacklivesmatter that could benefit from the money.
I should also think about what I can do through personal actions to change things, to try to reduce racism, especially hidden racism.
Now that I think about it more, I should make a donation and do things to reduce racism, even if I don’t win the book so maybe, my name should be taken off the list so that my actions above are not contingent on winning the book. I do have the digital copy now so *I* don’t need the book.
Thank you for your candour. A wise person once said there is nothing as whole as a broken heart. I think he may have meant, at least in part, that it is from there that real growth and repair can happen. I hope it does, for all of us.
Hi David!
Thank you for your words and the book ( i take it as birthday present that is today). Always a pleasure for us to enjoy your work.
I miss those days when the movies were about real life things and not about future possibilities that then became real. We need to focus more in love, in life , in compassion if we want a better world.
Love to read your new book, i know i gonna do it in the future, when better moments return.
Have peace in your hearth and take a big breath, this shall pass too.
Thank you.
You have summed up how so many of us are currently feeling and our lack of words to express it in a meaningful way. Thank you for sharing a beauty of this world, many of would never experience in person, with your kind free download.
Thanks for sharing your wonderful pictures.
Here is a very recent article about the challenges of nomads in the days of Corona (in German, with a couple of pictures):
https://www.zeit.de/gesellschaft/2020-06/nomadenvolk-fulbe-corona-massnahmen-senegal-bewegungsfreiheit
Thank you for your thoughts about the time we live in – live in fact together.
The crisis might becomes to a chance for human rights, for more justice and for more equal rights of the hole mankind. We should remember that we all are not only in this society but that any of us are the society. And the state of a (our) society can be seen in how the weak are dealt with. Let us show together what good we humans are capable of.
With best regards
David, your spirit of compassion, humility and integrity continue to amaze me. Even in having nothing to say you say much more than most. Thank you!
Thank you for your free book. You are very generous.
Best wishes.
Pierre
I agree, a time for listening , followed by peaceful action.
I have so enjoyed all of your Beautiful Anarchy pod casts! You words are honest and encouraging. I look forward to viewing the digital copy of your book and perhaps a signed copy.
Continue the great work,
Pam
Thanks David for being able to access the “PilgrimsandNomadd” digital version. There are strong images of people who are often proud and have reason to be.
The file is large so it did not work on the iPad, but on my PC it worked well to download the file.
Hope you have a good future and be healthy.
Thanks David for your compassion, empathy and generousity. It is only when these qualities move to the center of our cultural and political universe that we will make the changes we must make. Living and breathing those qualities makes that happen.
Thank you for your honesty and the reminder to just listen to those whose time it is to speak up now. Let’s support them by giving space as needed and learning how we all can improve.
Thank you for this beautiful gift which I will use for positive reflection at a time when it is difficult yet so important to remain hopeful for positive change on so many areas of fundamental crisis in this beautiful world of ours…
What a wonderful gift this ebook is ! So many beautiful, smiling, laughing friendly faces ! Beauty inside reflecting outside ! Humanity at its best. Thank you so much ! MC.
Thank you for this inspiring gesture, and for your wonderful work.
Your work is inspiring. Thanks!
Thanks so much for the words and lovely gift. Beautiful.
Thanks very much for your gift David, I think it really resonances well with the turmoil we are facing today.
Thank you very much David
Your words and works are my lights in this difficult period
Best wishes
Marco
David, like you I am lost for words at this time to explain or understand why George Floyd had to die this way, whilst no saint the way he died was unjustifiable in any way, shape or form and I fully understand the outpouring of emotion. It has happened far too often. I am nearing the end of my life and over the years have championed many causes for social justice, racial equality and a more equitable society and will continue to do so until I no longer can. I live in hope that there will be positive change before I go and hope all the current events we have seen so far this year will be a major contributor to that change.
I have many of your books and magazines and they have had a significant influence on me in more ways than you can imagine. Stay positive, safe and well,
Thank you for such an inspiring and thought provoking gift. It lifted my heart. Thank you.
Hello David. I have just viewed and read your Pilgrims + Nomads book and being new to photography it has shown me the importance of the use of light and story telling is when shooting photographs. Each story and photo actually made me feel as if I was there in the moment and felt totally mesmerised by them. The reflection of each photos story and the emotion within shown by these amazing resilient people has given me the positivity to be inspired to not only enjoy my photography more but to also see where the field of photography can take me. I also like the black and white format that I believe added to the beauty of each photo. I hope one day to be able to be just as amazed at your photography as my own. Truly inspiring. Thank you for sharing it and all the other information on your website. I live in Australia and would love to receive one of the three copies you are giving away to be able to continually read and use as a guide to improving my photography and if necessary would be more than happy to pay the postage. Regards Heather Matthews
David, thank you for your honesty. It is always refreshing to read deep, compassionate, and honest words, and I am fortunate enough to listen and read some people who are doing that in these difficult times, you included.
Also thank you for the digital copy of Pilgrims & Nomads, I could only look at some images in there but I think it is a truly wonderful body of work!
David, your words and works are always full of live, of love and and compassion for all humans . I thank you so much for your generosity . It’s obvious words are not easy to choose to explain our feelings at the present moment. Just need to tell we desagree and take time for wondering what can we do, indidually, anywhere we live, to make things and looks and actions change in a good way. Many small actions for big changes very soon.
Thank you so much for your great photos and book !
Take care of yourself and yours.
Michèle
As a writer for more than 40 years, I am familiar with these moments when the page remains blank. But fear not. You are not really idle. Your subconscious, which is like a huge onboard super computer, is churning away. Pay attention to dreams, that’s where the subconscious dumps its best work — brilliant summations and analysis on where you are and creative ideas for the path forward. Your waking challenge is to interpret the abstract dream into sensible ideas.
I would love to be entered for one of the three limited-edition copies of your book.
Thank you and good luck.
— Robert Dodge
It is a rare gift to be able to share the humanity of distant cultures through photography. You give us an opportunity to see different peoples as individual human beings rather than as curiosities. Thank you for sharing your vision with us.
Thank you for your honest letter this week.
Pilgrims and. I ads show some beautiful pictures . The lighting in most of them makes them so much more dramatic. Thank you for sharing them.
Hi David,
I have been following you for a few years now and your pictures and writing never fail to inspire and spark discussion and reflection. Thank you! Here is to hoping that good will conquer evil and prevail.
Best wishes from Paris,
Ben
Even when you say you don’t have words you manage to find exactly the right ones!
I have been able to take so much out of your words since I found you through “Vision is better” on YouTube a few years ago – both for my photography but also for life in general. And your latest ones’ are no different.
Thank you for all your work, the words, the gift of your book(s) and beautiful photographs, and everything you share with us. I will no doubt continue to follow along and hope to finally get to meet you in person in Canada next year (as this year’s workshop on P.E.I. cannot take place, which I was looking forward to so much).
Stay safe and hopeful.
To take those pictures is: to align the head, the eye and the heart. It’s a way of living.
After all, we’re all human beings, no matter which part (continent) of the world we’re living in.
Stay healthy and smile!
Grtz
Valentin Jacobs
Belgium
I read everything you write and it seems to go deeply into my heart. You are so much more than a photographer. Your wisdom teaches me new things about myself and the world. The words “Thank you” are inadequate.
Until we can all quit “seeing” complexion, size, background, religion, political slant, etc. and just see a fellow human brother/sister, this all-consuming fear, hatred, and anger will continue. Unfortunately, each of those 3 ignites the other 2 with a seemingly endless cycle. It often feels like we humans just cannot rise above enough to change the tide towards kindness, acceptance, compassion. But each day, I as well as many others continue to try and make it possible.
Here in Australia we started the year with devastating horrific fires and then had floods. After that we went into lockdown with Covid-19. Now as restrictions are starting to ease we see protests and rioting in US of A as resentments and injustices come to the boil in these most difficult of times. Photography can be a way to change the world.
I would love to receive your book “Pilgrims & Nomad” because I find you a sane voice in a very confusing world.
Tough times for so many but there is also so much goodwill in the world.Perhaps if we all listened a bit more then things would get better. We must be positive and have respect for everyone else.
Thank you for the wonderful E-Book, David. Through correspondence with Guy Tal, whose work I admire, I found you and your work. I am especially grateful for your podcast and is now my favourite to listen to. Beautiful content and each episode makes me contemplate on my own work. You have done so much for the photographic community and it’s ok once in a while to have “nothing’ to share – I’m sure it’s there but not quite ready to come out.
It has been a tough couple of months for the whole of humanity and coupled with the day to day it can be overwhelming. To borrow from the Beautiful Warriors episode, “The fight is the way of the artist”, it rings true both in the art life and in everyday life – for things we care about.
Thank you for your words, your honesty and your integrity. This year is truly confronting us with our fears and deficiencies, but also showing us the courage and compassion people are capable of.
Hi David
Thank you for that wonderful book! Your images are special and there’s a lot to feel while looking at them. I’m also a big fan of your podcast, always a highlight in my day.
All the best for you and your loved ones
Peter
Thank you for sharing your heart and mind with us. 🙂
Thanks for sharing these wonderful photographs, David! I still don’t understand why lots of these photos “work” so intimately for me, as I’m still at the beginning of my photographic journey. However, I get deeply connected to them and understand why you selected them.
Take care and stay healthy.
Greetings from the Palatinate,
Michael
Thanks for the kind gesture, at a time when the world seems to be so terribly unkind in many things that matter
Thank you for this thoughtful gesture, David. There is not much we can do at the moment except prayer and showering the world with blessings. I am quite a walker and it has long been a simple gesture of mine to bless the earth with every step I take. This too shall pass and we will be stronger than ever.
David, Thank you for all you do, for your kindness and generosity and being a caring person. The world needs more people like you in it.
Always thought provoking and inspiring, thanks for your words and images.
David, thank you so much for the words and for sharing your photographs. The world is in a crisis situation and not because of the pandemic, but because of our lack of humanity.
In your book we can see people with different religions and customs, but I think the most valuable thing in your photographs is the ability to connect with these people and find a common point between our differences. This is a practice we should all look for in our day-to-day.
Thanks!
Hugo Rios
Hi David
Thanks for the wonderful gift…. in these troubled times we all need a reminder of the grace that we are all capable of giving. Peek below the color of our skin and we are warm, wonderful people, generous and joyful. Change can come and will come if we remind ourselves that we are one.
And in these seemingly endless, dismal days – we need our daily dose of sunshine.
And you bring it with your words, messages.
I look in my inbox for your letters of cheer, seemingly simple lessons that keep us true.
Thank you again.
Rao
Thank you so much David for your letter!
Your words reflect what everyone is living at the moment. But it’s great to read someone who can put into words and images his feeling. It’s so inspiring.
Great words David! Thanks for the gift
Thank you for your words.
A beautiful letter David. Thank you for you honesty. Sometimes words are just that, words. We need action and having people stop and contemplate first will, I hope, lead to positive action. You are a true representation of what a Canadian is in the slightly messed up world we live in.
Hello David I can only agree with what has been written already. Thanki you for reaching out with your heart. When we got thrugh the fires here in Australia and then we had some fantastic rains which broke the 3 year drought in Australia, although some areas are still waiting for rain. My thoughts were we are in for a great year and then Covid-19 hit us. We in Australia have been extremely lucky with relatively a small number of deaths and cases compared to other places in the world, We live 4 hours drive from Melbourne Victoria and so have been very lucky so far with only 1 case and hope it stays that way, Anyway we are safe and hoping everyone else stays safe too, Take care and stay safe with you and your loved ones. Cheers Ron
Many thanks David. I appreciate your thoughts and totally agree. However bad we feel or think about the the doom and gloom of our situation, there are people in worse situations then us. They need our help, thoughts and prayers.
No words David, only a heartfelt thank you for everything you do. Peace
David,
You say you’ve got nothing this week, but I beg to differ.
This has been a very tough year as you point out. And the painful feelings, fear and anxiety you mention have all become if I may borrow one of your expressions, “exhausting”.
When I read this post the one thing that immediately stood out to me was that your “heart hurts”. I believe your heart hurts for humanity. Your work has always demonstrated the humanity of people in different countries, different cultures, and different ethnicity, all of which is a reflection of you and your values.
That speaks volumes…… May you always have something to say!
David, Thank you for your compassionate and generous spirit. I believe the world is watching in horror at what is unfolding your country but how long can communities withstand year upon years of being oppressed and ignored. My own country, Australia, treats its indigenous community no better – it’s just that there are less of them so are not perceived as a threat. It’s appalling. We need to learn to look after each other.
There are events that leave us speechless. Times where there are no words to describe the anger, the horror, the boundless joy of the moment. Just then you are reaching out and sharing with your community work of much value to you. That gesture is full of the appropriate words, emotions and compassion. Thank you David.
Thank you for a lovely gift – a gift of light and laughter.
But, contrary to your words, there is a “white face” represented in every beautiful photograph: the face of the artist and the choices he has made. We cannot ignore our place in the pictures we make.
I’m pretty sure it was you who taught me that! 😉
Big,big hugs to your hurting heart, LynL
Hi David,
The fact that you, such an accomplished wordsmith, is lost for the very tools that you have so eloquently used in the past; speaks volumes as to the way so many of us, with less literary skills feel.
Every country seems to be enduring so many awful events that, I am not alone to say, one feels traumatised as never before.
Here in Australia, within one year, we have endured catastrophic fires and floods and now, as the rest of the world, Covid-19.
Our government has done a stirling job of making us safer here than many others have done. Helped I am sure by our geographical isolation and the fortune to have space as individuals.
Despite this safety net, Covid-19 reached out to me and took my brother of 55 years, who was an English & History teacher in Thailand. He will be cremated on the 9th June and no family can be there, we are either here or in the UK.
I am saddened by the events in America but I do not believe the killing of George Floyd was racial in its intent. I believe that it was/is a result of the escalation of a movement that continues to treat other human beings without compassion nor kindness. A compassionate police officer would have reacted to the George’s plight, but the video footage shows a police officer who could not give a damn. Yes, George was of colour, but I believe he could have been bright green with pink spots and the outcome would have been the same.
Here in Australia the government are now running ads on TV to address road rage. Baby steps for sure, but it shows that this selfish, uncaring attitude starts in the most simplest form. They are appealing to the public to show courtesy and give a wave to your fellow man when courtesy is shown to you.
Like you I feel that I have nothing, no response, but do not despare David, there are so many of us that refuse to believe that one bad apple can spoil a barrel.
Stay safe
Andy
Have been following you for many years now.
Wanted to buy this book when it came out, but, the resources dried up.
Thanks a lot for caring- the humanitirian photographer ….
David – please just keep doing what you do, and keep being who you are.
Thanks for everything.
Kim
Beautifully written my young friend.
Hi David,
Always look forward to receiving your emails. While I follow a few photographers, you are the only one that makes me think about the why as opposed to teaching the how. Thanks for that and thank you for the copy of Pilgrims + Nomads download. I would love to win a copy of the book but I also wanted to share with you the photo that really resonated with me.
Plate 34 – I love the light in this shot, falling on the focused eye – of course I have seen this one before in your Heart of the Photograph book – it’s one of my favourites.
Plate 50 – the character in the face and the angle to the light, beautiful
Plate 55 – the expansiveness of the Kenyan countryside evokes this feeling of being insignificant, the stillness and openness of that scene really speaks to me – hey I live in the heart of Bangkok where the vista is just so different.
Plates 84-94 – I love the range of everyday emotions depicted in this series of shots
Thank you for caring..
Such beautiful images in your new book…thank you David and thank you for your emails and the inspiration that you provide.
Ironically I had just been reading your recent book, “The Heart of the Photograph” when I went to check on an email notification and up popped this message from you! I completely understand how, for some of us, photographs are an easier way to communicate our thoughts than words. Your compelling images are case in point. Thank you for sharing your talent with all of us!
David – your compassion for others has always shown through in your images & words. The world can learn a lot from them. I know that they encourage me. Thank you for sharing them with us.
David, I can’t tell you how much your Podcast and blog have helped me during a very challenging time in my life.
I love your work, and would love to win a signed copy of Pilgrims and Nomads.
Alternatively, I could trade you a large bag of pinecones for a copy! (I am in North Carolina after all)
Peace,
Dave Peterson
Thank you for the E-book and for the guidance you provide regularly. We should not feel responsible for others actions; just as violence leads to more violence, kindness & respect leads to more kindness and respect.
Hi David, thanks for your words and thoughts when we are all struggling to move forward in difficult times. As someone who has enjoyed being part of your photography community through Making an Image and The Vision-Driven FB community, I appreciate your talents for photography and words. I would love a copy of Pilgrims + Nomads. But I would also like to share my thoughts as a white woman in the United States. I am learning and listening as I go and what is happening here is long overdue. From my perspective, may I say that your use of the word “riots” did not speak to the overwhelming numbers of people here who are peacefully joining together to support this movement for change. I have great hope that we can continue to raise our collective voices for positive change in not only the justice system, but all areas of inequality here in the USA and also throughout the world. Thank you for reaching out via your blog.
We too feel at a loss for words, and appropriate action. Our hope is this time the protests are listened to, and heard, so proper reforms can be discussed and implemented.
Peace….
Mike,
I think we’re all reeling as this too often story unfolds once again, only this time right in front of our eyes for all to see. I’m deeply saddened and emotionally frustrated that this continues to happen. Talk, talk, and more talk is not enough. It is time for real reform and action. We all need to do better.
David,
Greetings from Laramie, Wyoming.
Thank you always for your honesty and openness. I feel it in everything you write as well as in tour images. I’ve learned so much from you over the past couple years and a few of your courses and books. Much more to learn, everyday.
It’s okay to find yourself lacking the right words. With all that is going on, you are not alone in that regard. My recent daily journal entries have been brief and some days empty. We will find our way through, but it will take time, patience, and courage.
Hang in there.
David H
What a lovely gift for your readers! The photographs are wonderful!
Thank you.
David, I look forward to your weekly newsletter and especially look forward to you podcast. It’s on my top 5. Thank you for your transparency and honesty. Stay safe.
Heidi
As always David, you’ve nailed it. Words to express the feelings of the vast majority at this time are hard to find. The sadness, anger and general disbelief felt because of the actions of some are beyond normal comprehension. Thank you for your gift to us of your incredible book.
I feel that if nothing happens now, with all the worldwide support and publicity, then equality will never happen. The world will be a better place if we all say, enough is enough!
Peace to all from an ashamed, white, privileged, middle-aged male from the UK
David, I have loved your work and your words for so long. It’s OK to be without words right now.
David greetings from Toronto. I always enjoy your blogs and podcasts. Your digital copy of “Pilgrims + Nomads” is excellent
David thanks a million for the copy of Pilgrims + Nomads download. We all need something uplifting in this present time of turmoil. Your generosity speaks volumes. Thank you for all you do and your kindness. May you and your family stay healthy and safe.
Thank you for your heartfelt, appropriate post today. We all have to speak out in the way that is genuine for us, as you have done.
David, although I’ve been at this photography stuff way before you, I find your books, articles and podcasts inspiring and sometimes a kick in the butt. Thanks
I’m inspired by you words as always David. I keep thinking of a quote from Hemmingway. “The world breaks everyone, but some grow stronger at the break.” Allow yourself the peace to grow stronger.
David, you are a kind and honourable person and I appreciate your honesty and thoughtfulness as well as your artistic talent as a writer and photographer. I agree that it is hard to find words especially as a white person, so listening and learning are so important right now.
I’ve run out of words too! Just when I think I know what to say, the situation changes and it would no longer be the right thing. Be well! We just need to wait this time out, following the safest ways to live in this current environment.
I appreciate you and your work, David – an inspiration to me and my students over the years, currently middle schoolers, many of whom are looking at the ART of a photo for the first time in your books.
And yes, many of us struggle to see the things we’re seeing, through our nearsighted biases and privilege, and make sense of the injustice, but we share the heartbreak and heartache, and we KNOW we HAVE to do better, and do more.
Thank you this beautiful book!
Very much appreciate, and agree with, your heartfelt comments. Thank you also for the beautiful photos and messages in your Pilgrams and Nomads book. It would be great to have a copy on my coffee table.
Keep up your great work, many many people feel your inspiration.
Regards
Doug Mitchell
There is no doubt that this is a difficult time. I am hopeful that it is a time of transition and growth. A transition away from the antiquated desk-job mentality and a growth beyond judging people based on the color of their skin.
Thank you for everything you do. We appreciate it.
There is no doubt you live up to your statement of being a humanitarian photographer. I’ve enjoyed your videos and newletters just as much for the non-photographic perspectives as for the wonderful photographies. Thanks for this ongoing sharing. I hope you will get to feeling better again soon.
David, I have enjoyed your words now for quite some time and I am always learning something new from you. I do really appreciate the download and the one thing that I have always admired about you is the fact that you call yourself a Humanitarian Photographer. What a wonderful way to describe what you say with your beautiful images.
Thank you for sharing.
I think most everyone has been touched by the current events that are going on right now. Various emotions have been stirred all over the planet as people from all walks have shown their compassion and concern not just for those who have lost loved ones but for each other. This is what it is to be human: to feel someone else’s pain and let them know you will do whatever you can in whatever way to support them and let them know they are not alone in their grief, their heartache, and their sorrow. Yes, our hearts ache for those lost and the injustices incurred. But our hearts are also comforted in seeing so many united for a common cause and in doing so reaffirming that we truly are one family. Thank you for your thoughts sir and the opportunity to express some of my own.
David you always have a way of stretching my mind, my imagination, and my creativity. Thank you for that.
Great gift. Thanks David,
David, thank you for your public compassion and generosity. For those of us who have escaped the terrors of the pandemic and do not suffer the repression of racism, now is a time to listen reflect and then act with positivity, generosity and more compassion. I must remain optimistic as the alternative is too dire. Thinking of you and all others. Tony H
May we all have our horizon widened by your images . . . thanks for sharing . . .
You have spoken volumes as those images speak volumes. Those who have nothing show us how poor we really are always desiring more and more, whereas their lives still show joy and beauty not seen by millions of us with so much
Dear David,
Know you are not alone, we all stand with you & understand. It’s just overwhelmingly sad & unjust & you feel helpless to counteract these forces. I think it is a time to stand with people of colour, & a time to listen, truly listen.
Take care of you. You make a difference.
X Sam
HI David.
I already knew your images, by your books.
And as each time, i rediscover a vision, something as simple, sincere and truth.
The kind of images who makes me travel and meet the people of thoses images, create those moments.
Thanks from France.
David…
The two photographer Davids in my life, you and Dave Brosha. I started making photographs when PTSD and the accompanying anxiety and depression forced me to retire early from a career of service to the underserved that I loved (I was a nurse and a midwife for 23 years). I even registered for a week with you in PEI a couple of years ago and was unable to accomplish that. But let me tell you how very much your words and especially your photographs have impacted the way I am meeting this challenging chapter of my life. As an old, well educated, financially secure old lady (practically the very definition of privilege) who grew up marching and protesting and advocating, I’m still hopeful that this cauldron brew of Covid and sudden traumatic awareness will take this generation to places that mine only hoped for. So yes, I would love a signed copy of your book. My signed copy of “The Heart of the Photograph” is on my bedside stand only because I got an unsigned copy to lend. So let me take this opportunity to say thank you for all that you do. Gandhi said it and you do it, “Be the change…” and helpless doesn’t always mean hopeless.
Lauren
Blackhoundphotography.lda@gmail.com
Thank you David. There are no words today. Maybe tomorrow.
David you said you had nothing this week, but I believe you had a lot to say. You shared your heart and soul during these difficult times. This is a time for us all to show our hearts and compassion for those we share this journey called life. Thank you for reminding us of this.
David, I don’t believe your heart has run out of words, its because there are no words to give justice to the injustices around us. Thank you for all you do, everything you write makes me think, and many words strike deep for me. Because of you I now call myself an artist. One day I’d love to walk in your door, with a special bottle of something to share, and personally express my thanks for all you do. I promise I’ll wash my hands before I come.
Thankyou for all that you do
It is so true that now is the time for listening! Thank you for your inspiration.
Dear David, I have mentioned before and I will say again, your email as well as your podcast are always inspiring and calming and insightful. What a joy to read or hear your voice. How generous of you to share the digital version of Pilgrims and Nomads. So very grateful for all your work.
Stay Well,
Ann Giuli
Happy to hear that you are well and safe, David.
Thank you for this insightful and quiet email.
My inbox in inundated with opinion pieces, personal diatribes and lengthy manifestos regarding all of the recent events we are experiencing.
I very much appreciate your restraint, compassion and decision to listen.
We are in a very strange historical place in this world right now, on a precipice of global awareness and change.
And it will take a common mindset to make sense of and bring order to all of this chaos.
Hopefully, if more people start listening, instead of spouting off, we will come to some kind of solution.
Thanks for the words, the book and a moment to reflect.
I too am at a loss for words these days. At times like these perhaps photography helps, but the images I’ve seen lately seem to make the pain deeper, but maybe that’s the point.
Thanks for everything you do to bring light to the world.
Thank you David. Hard to express our feelings in words these days. Just getting caught up on some podcasts and truly enjoyed your interview on The Candid Frame a few weeks ago.
Keeping it real as always, and that is what drew me to being a David Duchemin fan from the first time I opened one of your books. I think we are all feeling a bit battered and broken during one of the worst times I can recall in my lifetime. Thank you for your compassion and the light that you are in the midst of this mess.
Your stumbling heart-felt words are more than nothing and your photography speaks volumes. Thank you for sharing.
I enjoy and welcome your photography and your outlook on the world. The opportunity to win a signed copy of your book is much appreciated.
Please keep it up and stay well.
Thank you for the book. I look forward to reading it. Growing up I was mercilessly bullied throughout elementary and middle school. My crime was being born on the wrong side of the border. When I spoke, I sounded different and that was all the reason they needed. I never understood it then and 40 years later I still don’t understand why it made such a difference. Likewise I do not understand racism. We are not peas in a pod – and if we were to be truly critical even peas in a pod a not exactly the same but they are all peas. Why do people need to belittle others in order to feel better about themselves? Can we not get along and accept that our differences are what makes us so special?
Stay safe and healthy!
Yes, I would absolutely love a hard copy for inspiration. Thank you for all you do, David!
An open loving heart feels both joy and pain. But to not do so dulls the thrilling experience of life.
Good day David and thank you for your generosity and for your thoughtful words.
We are most certainly living in a time of upheaval and great change. There is no going back.
It is my deepest desire that mankind awakens to the wisdom that we are “Infinite Beings” and that “we are all one”. We are interconnected with each other and with LIFE itself. A community that recognizes “we are all one” would wake up and treat every person with dignity and respect, and that what we do for the many, we do for the One and what we do for the One, we do for the many.
This pandemic together with the unfortunate events occurring in the US are triggers for change. With any luck we may just wake up, and each individual would take responsibility for their own actions do their part to bring about lasting change for the better.
Thank you for sharing this wonderful work at such an appropriate time. It brings back memories of my only trip to Kenya in 2005 and what an impact it had on my life. I experienced some of the things you describe in your book, including the critical importance of access to fresh water and the great lengths many people have to go in order to obtain it. Blessings!
Thank you so much for the book and for your words. I too struggle to find the words, although I think you expressed them beautifully here and through your photos as always.
Gracias, gracias, gracias 🤗
“Love Always Wins”
Thank you David.
To give to others is a gift, but to give art is such a special way to speak. Thank you my friend, your art speaks a lot about the best in humanity and about how we are stronger together and celebrating our diversity. yourmung@gmail.com
I wish I could express “nothing” similarly well …
Thank you David!
Everybody needs to be nice to each other. It shouldn’t have to be this difficult.
You had more and better words than I have been able to come up with right now. Each day it seems we see or hear of more brutality going on and it also hurts my heart each time I see or hear it. I wish I had something more eloquent to say, but, right now I don’t. I will end with just this simple statement because it says more than I will ever be able to say…#BlackLivesMatter!
David, you don’t have to apologize for anything… for not having more this week. You’ve given me enough for many years to come. Thanks for the download, and keep save,…Len
Thank you so much David for being who you are. You who are used to catch the light, know that your humanity that shines from all your work is a light in this world, and every light matter.
I am in France, we face the same as many many other people in the world, covid, racism stupidity, these tragedies have at the same time a good side this year : it brings us together, we share the same humanity and as humans we are closer than ever. It makes me hope.
Thank you David, and you all take care!
Well said. I believe that one have a purpose and be passionate about it One must also exhibit compassion and gratitude. You have pushed all four buttons.
Thank you for sharing your heart and your beautiful book with us!
Mary Presson Roberts
Thanks for this post, David. It’s really hard to put Feelings about this week’s events into words, or even pictures, I would argue. Thanks for helping to voice that feeling that can’t be described well. And thanks for the download. It will be a welcome diversion from the scenes on TV and the Internet. Stay safe!
In these days, for people who inhale and exhale with pictures, it can happen, that there are not the right words to express what is going on in ones self . To be silent is also a sign for honouring what is going on. No need to apologize for that . Thank you for the digital copy of pilgrims and nomads, David. I appreciate very much the message of your gift.
Thank you for the download David. Very kind and generous of you. I have two of your books hard copy and I look forward to getting your last publication as well. They are so rich!!
Everyone needs to have them!
Thanks again! Brad
HI David, I’ve been following you for almost 12 years now. And you never cease to amaze me with your kindness and generosity at documenting this world and making it a better place to live and love. Even in NZ we can feel what is happening in the US – it affects all of us on a very deep level. The unconscious bias of how this world lives must change. Thank you for your thoughts, worrds, and of course images.
Thank you so much! You have spoken volumes with your beautiful photographs.
I appreciate your generosity and the transparency of your words.
Thank you for your generous gift. It is painful to acknowledge that the world may always be afflicted with evil, but if we can all work together, we can achieve powerful change. I want to believe that no one is incapable of redemption, if he or she will only open the heart and let the mind and the will follow. Only light can drive out despair.
A really nice work David. We are all confused about what’s happening this year…
Look forward to your books and articles . Always full of great info. Keep up the good work.
Listening, as you say, is what we ought to do and let’s be ready to act , observe, record and shed light in the shadows . Within the Frame was very important for me. Thanks David.
I would like to echo the words of Susan Milinkovich above. She has described what I believe in so passionately and so well.
I would like to add that, here in Ireland we are watching events in the US with heavy hearts and also with fear about what the present political regime might bring about in your country and in the world at large. However, I think few countries can consider themselves to be without the ‘sin’ of racism and other prejudices, so we are hoping that the present surge of anger which we are all witnessing will, this time, bring about great change in attitudes not only in the US but all over the world.
David, I thank you for your generosity in offering to us ‘Pilgrims & Nomads’. I have a number of your books already and have found them very inspiring, as I do your frequent online communications. I look forward to spending time with this latest book. I would like to put my name down for the hard-back copy, but I am 74 yrs old and think that it would be better if some younger photographer got the benefit of it so, I will be content with the online version.
David, you are truly a compassionate person and I thank you for that.
We live in a fallen world and all of us have a lot to learn. It starts with each one of us, and through our actions, hopefully we can show kindness and love to our fellow man, that it might rub off on someone else. Thanks David, stay safe, and keep up the good work!
I truly love your books and photography. Having seen one or two of these photos in your other works, seeing them here puts them into a more meaningful context. Thank you for all you do.
Thank you so much and much respect. Top bloke!
David, Thank you so very much for sharing you book, Pilgrims and Nomads. Your work has inspired me greatly and rekindled the fire within for photography a few years back and continues to do so. Because of you, I am a Fuji x shooter (Nikon for sports) The xpro1 is what started it all for me! Again, thank you – Please keep doing what you do – in these trying times, we need the inspiration – I know I sure do.
May we all be safe
May we all be well
May we all find true happiness
May we live with ease
We are all living in such difficult times, the light seems but a tiny speck at the end of a long dark tunnel. However that light will come and your words David helps us all to reach it.
I’ve followed you for sometime but over the lock down managed to take you with me on my daily walks. Your words have inspired me and I understand your position now. What has happened is the lowest of the low. Its time the world pulled together, not apart.
Thank you for sharing your work and words and I luck forward to hearing and reading more.
Michele (ushermichele69@gmail.com)
The world seems upside down or backward forward at this time. It seems incomprehensible, but nonetheless we must endeavor to find solutions to the problems. We must recover from the daze we’re experiencing.
David you have expressed so well how so many of us are feeling these days! There is so much negativity going on around us it is hard to feel some despair at the state of our world. As Dr. Bonnie says ” be kind, be calm and be safe”
Thank you for the digital copy of your book, that was a very generous thing to do and I look forward to spending time with it.
Should read “Not” to feel some despair.
Thanks for your honesty. I’m taking hope in the fact that four teenage girls called for a march for justice and more people showed up than the city has seen in any demonstration in its history. I’m taking hope that there are more helpers than haters. More good folks than the forces of inhumanity, injustice and fear.
It’s almost said…, special times we’re going through. Each of us can now proof, how her/his heart beats.
Thank you David!
I consider myself a fan of your style and your projects
Your words and your photos show your Humanity everyday. I have purchased several of your books and I am very grateful for your insight and training. Your photos show the Beauty of this world and all the people who inhabit this earth. Thank you for sharing.
I would treasure your signed book and enjoy looking and reading the printed pages.
I think you’ve encapsulated how most of us feel. We’ve got a very long healing process ahead of us.
I have been enjoying your mails, your ebooks for a long time, more than 15 years. I always appreciated the way you looked at people, at nature and how you translated your feelings into photographies.
I never questioned your sensitivity and once again you demonstrate it.
Thank you so much for all those beautiful moments and the gift of your ebook.
Take care!
Nothing to add to what others have said. Respect.
Brother – not only do you put into practice the skill craft of photographically capturing wonderful moments, your wordsmith skills are on par with your photographic skills. I hope you and Cynthia are staying safe and healthy <3
I have been enjoying your podcast and videos on YouTube for a while now. Thank you for sharing your knowledge and insights with all of us. On my third binge-listening to A Beautiful Anarchy now and always looking forward to the new episodes and newsletters. These are unique and difficult times we are living in at the moment. Your book Pilgrims + Nomads SHows we are not so different from each other, and it would be an honor to own a copy. Please keep up the great work. Things will get better one day, the challenge is getting through the rough times and learning from them so when we reach the other side we don’t repeat the same mistakes over again.
“Love the ones who love you.
Love the ones who hate you, too.
You don’t have to show them your fear, or theirs: it’s there.
Give them something else to look for, to discover within themselves.” ~ MNP
Hugs,
Marcia and Mike
Thank you for all you do and your big heart. I’m out of words too but images are helping. Thanks.
I save all your emails so that I can turn to them for inspiration when I feel the need. Thank you, and thanks for the opportunity to obtain a physical, signed copy of your work 🙂
David,
I am fairly new to your blog, but over the past few months I have been so touched by your sharing of your heartfelt thoughts and insights particularly about what is happening in our world. Not only have I continued to think about what you say, but have been moved to go out and take a good look at what is happening around us. It is truly a difficult time – and it will take time and action to get through all this. I look forward to continued inspiration from you!
Thank you so much for the gift of the ebook!
I don’t have much words either, but like every human you’ve got so much to give and it’s time to say really thank you.
Having followed your work and books for about 3 years now, I am not surprised at your generous gift. So appropriate for this time of sorrow, sharing the joy and beauty of so many peoples. thank you.
There is always hope.
David, I am so moved by these photos of the lives of these people (human beings, like us), that I simply want to say thank you for the experience of seeing them. You speak of generosity, their generosity. It is not generosity to them it is their giving, their sharing. Sharing with you what they have what they are. They are so marvelous. I especially like the photo of the boy on the right and the many cows on the left at the water trough. It made me remember my youth on the farm watering the cow and bull & pigs we had. These people don’t know what generosity actually is, how to define it, It is simply their way of life, Give where is needed, take what is given. Love inside of it all. Thank you, Trish
Take care of yourself. It’s a difficult and sad world these days.
“My friend, I’ve got nothing this week”.
I;m not an often commenter… in general..but… My friend, there is no need to have something each week. There are plenty of things you did already… There are plenty of words to read and think of… Plenty of pictures to look at… Especially now… in that times we have. Thanks for all of that! Stay safe!
I totally understand how words can feel so inadequate during these times but you expressed your genuine feelings well. It makes my heart smile when out of all the chaos and hatred are the numerous large and small kindnesses. Your book is lovely and inspiring.
Thank-you very much for the digital copy of Pilgrims and Nomads. There is beautiful emotion and story between the covers.
It is ok not to always have the right words. It is ok to pause, to listen, to think and then to speak.
Ann
As always, your words, whether few or many, convey the compassion, empathy and thoughtfulness our times need. So you may think you have no words now, but the few you chose say it all. With gratitude, as alwyas
You’re such an insightful soul … long-time fan and student!
David, I’m glad to hear that you are physically well. It is a difficult time for all. I’m still immersed in my images from Kenya from January. Thank you for the copy of Pilgrims + Nomads
Well said David, thank you for your generosity and thoughtful words.
Many Thanks, David, for your generous download and, more importantly in this instance, for your thoughtful commentary.
An old Chinese (and David Hockney) saying is that one needs three things in painting and I believe it applies to photography, as well: we need the hand, the eye and the heart.
Good to see you are in possession of all three!
– Wilbur in Santa Fe
What a thoughtful way to mark such a trying time. Beautiful gesture.
Thanks for images that do speak a thousand words. Blessings.
I am not a photographer, but fortunately found your site a while ago. I follow you because I appreciate your thoughts and advice. You offer real world insights that can resonate with all creatives. Thanks for all you do.
Thank you for your inspiration.
David, thank you so much for the download….and the offer to win a hard copy version.
It’s my 70th birthday on June 14..so here’s hoping!
I totally understand your ‘no words’…as was mentioned in Steve’s post recently in The Vision-Driven group and the subsequent responses to that, many of us are feeling the same pain…I have sat here on my deck all morning just staring at things, not knowing what to do or where to go….picking up my camera or a photography book right now seems useless.
Stay healthy and safe! To quote my pastor as he ends every weekly sermon – YOU ARE LOVED!
Hi David,
Thank you so much for your generosity. You’re always “giving” something. And it’s always something good! This book is beautiful. The the light, the silhouettes, the faces. It’s a truly wonderful compilation. Thank you for sharing it.
We are indeed living in some tough and unprecedented times.
God bless you for your words and pictures of encouragement.
Deborah Flowers
Thank you David. I too have at a loss for words. Not knowing what to say will many times lead us to say some platitude just to fill the space. but I agree with you – now is the time to listen. And we need to take that listening to the next level – understanding before we can strive for the needed change.
Your generosity and reason for being doing so is a lovely gesture David.
Thank you so very much!
I had been chafing through this pandemic, mostly because I could not see or hold my 18 month granddaughter for 2 months but having the perspective now of lives horribly lost in such senseless ways, my foolish and indulgent pity party deliberations, embarrassingly pale and vanish when compared.
Life is troublesome, yet precious and fleeting.
We should value it for all while we still have it.
Thanks again.
Thanks a lot for sharing your passion giving me inspiration for my own work and to think about to make it different from time to time. The online course Making the Image helped me to think about and to the make stronger photographs.
Stay safe and well.
Regards from Germany
Andreas
Thank you so much for your generous gift of the e-book, absolutely stunning photography. I would love to see those images in print!
Most of us would agree I think that this tumultuous world which we currently inhabit needs to change – my hope is that we re-think our priorities and values and sculpt a far better world as we come through this deadly pandemic.
Thanks for this gift David!
I will be enjoyed to the fullest!!
God bless!
Hendrik
We have let things slide for too long and kept quiet. Somehow we have to come together and put it right again!
Thank you for the digital copy of your book. What a wonderful photo on the cover.
I appreciate your concern for what everyone is dealing with right now.
Thank you for sharing Pilgrims and Nomads with us. During these difficult times, I have been so impressed with everyone in the photography community and how they have reached out to each other in so many different ways. These are difficult times due to Covid-19 and the impact on the lives of people and the economy, the isolation we are all feeling as we have been sheltering at home, the ongoing racial tensions in this country that have become front and center with the death of George Floyd, and the lack of leadership, compassion and wisdom to help us through all these events. My husband and I have fought for social justice our entire lives and it just feels like none of it made much of a difference. I fail to understand why we continue to judge people based on the color of their skin, their sexual orientation, the religion they choose to be a part of, or so many other dividing issues. The only thing we should judge on is whether you are a good person or not – and even then there may be reasons a person may act the way they do that warrants our understanding and not judgement. But, one can always hope that there is a better tomorrow, that collective voices will rise up and facilitate change, and that the leaders in this country will someday make decisions based on the well being of the community as a whole and not on needs of only a few who only seek power and fortune at the expense of everyone else.
Thank you for your generosity and your efforts to celebrate our common humanity. I agree that it is a time to listen and to be compassionate and to be thankful.
Thanks for you words – even when nothing to say. Helped me to get clearer about my onw being overwhelmed.
Wilhelm
Gorgeously captured and you’ve done a real tribute to the beautiful souls that you’ve represented here.
Thank you for sharing your book, David.
Your approach to life – including, but certainly not limited to, photography, – is always uplifting, even when concerned with things less than beautiful. But your delight and artistry in portraying beauty is inspiring, as well.
And thanks to the other commenters for mentioning Brian Doyle…
– Marke
As usual you’ve hit the mark spot on…even when you feel you have “nothing.” And yet from nothing comes everything. As human beings we heartily resist that sad emptiness finding it vastly “uncomfortable.” It’s often a place we reach only after being forced to abandon our “busyness” and stop long enough to feel the heartache of recognizing where we have fallen short in awareness and compassion…..both in ourselves and our society as a whole. Yet I believe with all my heart that this same state of emptiness is the birthing ground of great and much needed change. As photographers and artists, I think most of us have experienced our own personal “dark night of the soul” which has often propelled us into the next phase of our evolution as artists and beings. Now we are witnessing this on a global level and while it challenges even the strongest among us, I hope and believe that these sad times will truly lead us into a more enlightened and loving world. Thank you for your always honest , profound words and the many gifts you share with us.
Thank you David for a powerful journey through your lens. You capture ordinary activities that become magical with your choice of strong contrast; deep shadows in play with your subjects and the way they are lit. It is a black and white rainbow colored by their expressions and surroundings. And when your subjects gift you with a smile they transcend their circumstances in tender moments of beauty; threads of joy beyond the challenges of their existence.
Hi David!
As a long time follower and lover of your work .Thanks for your digital copy of your book.
Today in my hometown we had a peaceful rally of over 2000 peoples of all ages and skin color. I”m proud of our young generation who want to stop rtacism and live ina peaceful world.
Keep up your great work
Thanks David,
Very thoughtful of you.
David,
Thank you for sharing your thoughts and feelings on our current situation. You have put in to words much of what I’m also feeling. Like so many, I feel heart sick because of what’s going on in the world around me … I feel like the US, in particular, is devolving in ways I never though possible – it’s certainly not the same country I moved to 20 years ago. Every day seems to bring a new horror and just trying to cope with it all takes so much of my energy. Not having a tv helps ! I feel like I’ve been in grieving mode for the past 3 years which, in many ways, has had an impact on my flow of creativity and I’ve been struggling to find motivation for some time. Thank you for making Pilgrims + Nomads available digitally. I was actually sitting in front of my computer yesterday thinking about my Kenyan photos … I volunteer for an organization that works with a group of Maasai trying to establish a conservancy on the west side of the Mara. So far, I’ve worked with them twice, helping to monitor giraffe and other wildlife, train guides and develop walking safari tours, create a camp site, plant trees and many other things. It has been such a privilege, and a unique experience to be able to enjoy these opportunities and be welcomed into Maasai lives. I have always intended to create a book to tell my story of this program. Perhaps the time is now ….
Thank you again for your words and inspiration. Stay safe and well ….
Beautiful, David. As always, thank you for your honesty, for being who you are and sharing that with the world and thus, inspiring others to do the same.
Much love to you and your wife,
Nigel
David, like you I just do not have words, in fact I am a such a loss I can’t, at this moment, express my thoughts. Thank you for expressing your feelings through your photography.
Truly a gift from the heart, the best kind of gift, ever. Thank you, my brother.
David, thank you for your generous gift. Your beautiful images come from an artist with a compassionate heart. I ‘ll share your e-book with my granddaughter, who is just starting her art studies.
Janis N. Senungetuk
Sharing, giving things away, keeping our eyes and hearts open, pooling our talents and resources, standing strong and uniting in the face of adversity will go a long way to help us create a sustainable, global community of people who are passionate about how life unfolds for all of us and the rest of the planet.
Yes of course there are many who seek only to serve and protect their own interests; many who abuse their position power; many who are cruel, vengeful, destructive and wreak havoc in their wake.
Each of us stand on the edge of potential – let’s move forward and create that better world. Let’s proceed on the basis that we will succeed where others have failed. Let’s be brave and stand together; let’s show the worst of humanity, the best of humanity.
Dear David,
I have learned so much from you–and hope to learn more in the future, assuming that we get to India at some point. Although I have not finished reading The Heart of the Photograph, I would like to be entered into the drawing for a print copy of Nomads.
Many thanks,
Kathryn
David, very lovely and heartwarming words. As always.
Thank you so much for everything you do!
Stay safe and healthy!
Tobias
Thank you for your words – always so thoughtful. It is truly up to each of us to work together to change this world.
Thank you David for the gift, and very well said. I think times like this force all of us to stop , think, and pray for ourselves and others.
Thank you for the free download of Pilgrims + Nomads. I was deeply touched by the gentle trust your subjects clearly placed in you. May we all endeavor to be so worthy.
Marie Françoise
English is not my native language. I understand it and enjoy your whole blog but it’s not so easy for me to write …
So just thank you for your humanity, your generosity and the way you help us. In different areas your expertise is so great : photography but also life in general.
Thank you
From France
We are all spent. Grieving on a global scale, for lives lost to a virus, for lives lost to human brutality. I hope we can all settle enough —and soften enough—to listen.
Thank you for sharing yourself in all these mediums. I always look forward to hearing what you have to impart. For now, be safe. Be well.
Downloaded the digital copy of your book Pilgrims + Nomads. “Beautiful” is all I can say. Sometimes the pictures say more than words ever could.
You said you’ve got nothing this week, yet you have just given us so much.
Thank you.
Hi David,
I share your thoughts … it´s a cruel time. Only love can save us all – the love shown staying distant to not spread the virus, the love shown living equal – for the love of mankind. (I hope my english expresses my thoughts well)
This time is about the heart of mankind. There are so many wounded hearts …
Stay well and healthy!
Thank you very much for the digital copy of your book.
I very much appreciate your willingness to take a step back and admit that you do not have the words. The past week I have felt stuck, immobilized by the feelings in my heart and the fear of doing/saying something wrong. Your description of calling in heart-sick was a perfect way to say exactly how I am feeling- not ignoring or choosing to support the wrong side of history, but rather, feeling everything so deeply that I am at a loss for words and continue to try to process all the emotions, events, perspectives. I too am trying to take this time to listen and learn so I can be a better ally and use my position of privilege to help lift up others.
Best,
Tracey
Thanks for giving some inspiration to get through lock-down in Nairobi
First of all thank you for your generosity in posting this. I have supported your programs in the past because you give intellectual advice based upon the old adage that its not the camera but whats looking through the viewfinder that matters most. You truly care about the meaning and thought behind the image and thats the intellectual problem with injustice we are battling today. The lack of empathy and injustice that are fueled by our leaderless society is discouraging and frustrating. We must do what we can do to make our world better no matter how difficult and pointless at times it seems. Hope must prevail.
In times like now the stories in Pilgrims & Nomands are calming and encouraging to know it is possible to live together in harmony and with purpose. While I liked the portraits as images, the environmental and candid images are so much more powerful. I am moved when transported into a mood, a place and made to feel like I am there. The drama in Pilgrims from the minimal light is wonderful and riveting. Beautiful plates.
As always best wishes to you
Thank you David, you’ve got a lot. You’re motivating me to reach further, extend my vision and become a better photographer and human. Great work!
Best wishes,
Tom
Hi David, thanks a lot for your words. It has been a difficult time. And you found good words.
I wish you happiness , a safe life and a content heart.
There will be ups again and downs and progress and backlash. It is all part of this life, I’m afraid. Just like the seasons and the tide and the weather and the phases of the moon, so take care, take your time and rest assured, we will still be here waiting for you
Gretl
David, so many of us “got nothing” as well. Thank you for your inspiring work, compassion and generosity.
Be safe, be well.
I own nearly all of your books David, and each one has been an inspiration to me. I met you when you came to WEX in London and was mesmerized by your presentation, which had many of the images from Pilgrims & Nomads within. Your thoughts about what’s going on in the world nowadays struck a chord with me, the striking differences between the way diversity is practiced here in England and the attitudes in America, and the possible ways all this hate and distrust will shake out in the near, and long term, future. Strange and angry times now, but I have faith we as humans will figure it out. Your photography has always shown me a diverse yet kind side of humans and their nature, so please keep the fine work coming to inspire your followers… Thanks, my friend…
Thank you so much David for this posting. I have followed you for a while and I love your images & I have learned from you. In this moment, at this time in our nation’s history, just the fact that you & so many others’ hearts, ears and eyes are open and listening, gives the black community real hope for change. Thank you for listening.
Thank you for your blog post today. Even though you feel that you have nothing to say, your photo said a thousand words, was an uplifting image to look at, and a healing balm for my weary soul. Your podcast and your blogs are things that I look forward to each week. Just know that you continue to make a difference, and your words and your photographs shine a light in the world. Thank you.
Your words have always inspired me. Let alone your imagery. Thank you for this incredible gift and reminder that we are all one.
I had the opportunity to visit Kenya this past January. Everywhere I looked the people and children waved and smiled. Such a incredible culture indeed! Witnessing their life style made me see that happiness is surly within.
Your book is the light and your words are of truth.
Thank you.
Hi David, so many of us have got „nothing“ . It is time to express the flip side of it, looking at it with humbleness, modesty and gratitude. Thank you for sharing nothing with us.
I sent you an email by mistake
Thank you for this – I both feel like the ability to see ourselves reflected back in the faces of people who live very different lives than ours is how we develop meaningful connections to humanity + simultaneously feel like not adding to any distracting noise of a very important message we should have been listening to long ago is the right step. While I’m in my own stages of rumbling + unlearning, I’m hoping in time, going back to your writings in the soul of the camera will help me amplify whatever story I feel compelled to help tell. Can’t wait to dive into this electronic copy.
David, this is truly a heart-felt idea. Your work has been an inspiration to not only me, but my students who I introduce to you. As a Christian educator, your work is an example I can point to and know that my students will be inspired.
David, I have followed you for years and you never disappoint. You can tell the folks who have heart, have a consistent message and walk their talk. Thank you for your honesty, creativity and generosity.
Best note I read after a while… Beautiful Image as always David. Thanks.
Thank you David for all of your great insight. And like you and many here, my heart breaks for the injustice we have seen towards all of many colors. Thank you for your generous gift of Pilgrims and Nomads. Stay strong, be well!
Namaste!
It would be utterly unfair to blame the mere existence of religions as a reason for the existence of racism …… but certainly the joy of mankind and the need for humanism can be an answer to mishandling a bible for the sake of populist politics. Some prove to be on the wrong side. Fortunately your works shows what positive humanism means.
English is not my native language. I understand it and enjoy your whole blog but it’s not so easy for me to write …
So just thank you for your humanity, your generosity and the way you help us. In different areas your expertise is so great : photography but also life in general.
Thank you
From France
Best comment I’ve read, heard or seen in the last week: “Time to listen” thank you🙏🏿
David.
Many thanks for the generous download offer.
I hesitate to say it cheered me up; but that’s not to say it saddened me. Talk about up close and personal but with such sensitivity. It is a privilege for me to see your take on this remote and fiscally poor community. But wait, why do we always associate wealth with money. There isn’t a sad face anywhere, rather the opposite. It seems they are able to accept their lot without complaint.
Truly rich in spirit.
I think there is a lesson to be learnt here, just as there is obviously an opposing one to be sorted in the western world, where there is so much denial, self centred behaviour, bigotry…
Truly shocking when you hear an authority figure claiming a victim slipped in a melee with protestors. When in fact you saw, via a video feed, that it was blatant overuse of Police force. Hopefully, and sadly, the more we see of this hypocrisy, the sooner someone will realise it has to be changed proactively. I can understand, maybe, the Police needing to use limited force to restrain someone, but surely with so many officers present could they not have cuffed the guy within 10 seconds or so. And then left him alone to breathe.
The Police are there, necessarily, to uphold the law: but it is not their gift to administer whatever form of punishment they think fit. And we all think we have problems!
That said I have always enjoyed your work and I hope you will soon be able to venture forth and continue doing what you do best.
Take care friend.
As always, David, your words go straight to the heart. If I’m honest, my own heart sickness took hold in 2016; it’s been a rough slog, alternating in even measure between absurdity and darkness. But having mentors like you in the world helps more than you know. In so many ways. A huge thank you for your generosity in the Pilgrims & Nomads download. You’re so right – We ALL are pilgrims and nomads.
I recently read someplace (was it in the FB group? An email? I can’t keep track) that you’re reading One Long River of Song. Well, I, too am reading that book, and it gave me such a smile to see that. Anyway, I can only echo what so many previous commenters have written here. I can be very pessimistic at times, but you know what? For some strange reason I have hope that the world will come out of this for the better. It’s just going to be a very bumpy, uncomfortable ride. Stay well and thank you again – Sharon
Brian Doyle has kept good company with me the last few weeks and I think I’ll go back and read it again. Such beauty and wonder. Thanks for the reminder, Sharon, I hope you’re well.
It is said that a picture is worth a thousand words. Your photos speak volumes, so we understand that at this time you are silent.
I’m recommending this book which you so kindly gave to us as something very important to our church group studying a book this month about walking in darkness. It and both sections of your book, along with what you wrote, is so very important for us all to see, read and understand, then take to our hearts for safekeeping, during this time so filled with dread and despair. Thank you for your words and your photographs. I am passing it along to friends to spread your wise words and the beauty of your vision.
David, really enjoyed viewing the digital copy of your book. Your use of light, movement and angle of view has taught me so much and inspires me to improve. Thank you.
Thank you, David. Well said, as usual.
Sometimes all we can do is quietly bear witness to each other’s pain. Thank you for your truth.
Words can hurt, Words can express LOVE In today’s life, it seems as though people don,t stop and think about what they say or how they say it The word LOVE is not used as much with true feeling as it once was. It is just four letters but it has the same meaning NO MATTER IN WHAT LANGUAGE and it does not change no matter the color of your skin. People just don,t stop and think before they open their mouth ( some people ) We need to be more sensitive to each other’s feelings. I am the first American Born and all through the WWII war I was called a Nazi, and any other name that goes with it, and IT HURTS. If we all could look deeper into a person to their HEART you would only find LOVE AS that is where GOD PUT IT, not on the outside an if you look into a person’s eyes it will lead you to their HEART and that is a two-way street. Let stop letting the evil people from leading us and let the Heart be the leader.
David, like you, I am lost for words, I don’t know what to say so I shall leave it to others better educated to discuss things as all I can feel is the pain.
Hey David, you’re a force for good. Whenever I get too disgusted with the worst of humanity on the internet, it is work like yours that balances it out, and reminds me to focus, work hard on the right stuff. Thank you !
Dear David. Thank you for your sensitive and cari g thoughts. Listening. Listening without judgement, asking clarifying questions, listening some more, and then committing to be more aware and change. Long overdue and essential to the survival of democracy and our culture. Thank you.
Thank you so much , David, for sharing this wonderful book – full of humanity, love and compassion
Thank you for your generous gift. I am reading Within the Frame, again. It is helping me to focus on meaningful photography. Your narrative always challenges me and I thank you for that.
Listening. Listening without judgement, asking clarifying questions, listening some more, and then committing to be more aware and change. Long overdue and essential to the survival of democracy and our culture. Thank you.
I appreciate the eBook, as well as your photos and your thoughts.
Thanks
Thank you David. As always, whether you ”have nothing ” or plenty to say, your writing hits the right spot. I agree, it is a time to listen. I’ve watched and listened to the rage expressed by those I will never know and from those I count as friends who have been personally affected. It is heartbreaking and numbing. It is hard to pick yo my camera and when I do, it’s just sunsets, flowers and turtles for now..
Thank you! I am a big fan of your work.
I’ve been meaning to send you a note for as long as I’ve been listening to your podcast. Thank you for the encouragement. To be in touch here, yes, but especially to be creative. To make something beautiful, or try, when it’s hard, when we’re afraid, when our voices and vision feel like so much noise. To be kind and humble, or try, while we are at it. And to forgive ourselves when we fail, learn more… try again. I’m grateful for your work. And as for having no words, I agree that sometimes the best thing we can do is listen. I’m sure it came from your podcast, but just as in music, the silent pauses are essential. Thanks again.
Thank you, David, the constancy of your generosity always inspires me to dig deeper, to give more, to love more.
Thanks for another great book. You are a wonderful human being
Thanks for the eBook. How appropriate your words. I always enjoy your photos and your thoughts.
Thank you David for sharing your heart as best as you could at this time. This is a pivotal time for the United States and the entire world. In Photography, light is everything, and a light has been shown illuminating so many things formally in shadow.
The landscape is changing and time will tell the impact. Then the storytellers will return to illustrate the fullness of a new day.
Thank you💙
Wonderful words, I couldn’t phrase it better. Your pictures but also your words capture great insights.
I subscribe to your posts and admire your gifts, talents, and generosity. Thank you!
I’ve felt the same this week. It’s all a bit too much too process. We have a bi-racial family and yet don’t feel the weight of all of this being privileged socio- economically and because we live near one of the most diverse cities in the world. My heart grieves for those who live in fear and oppression.
Such great insight!!!
Thank so much David.
My last travel was to Ethiopia (Jan 2020) Omo valley, I can not imagine how much hard work you have put into this work. Congratulations and thank very much for sharing and encouragement to do selfless work.
Thank you for the gifted ebook. Beautiful images! Also, thank you for the photographic inspiration that makes its way into my personal photography.
David,
Your books have always been helpful and inspiring to me as a struggling photographer. But, today when I read your post in my email, “this weekend I’m calling in heart-sick…” it moved me in a different way.
I am old enough to have lived through many presidency’s, served in US military in times of conflict, and watched in horror with my countryman as a president, his brother, and an influential spiritual leader lost their lives to a bullet fired in hatred. Those were rough times for us all, but the hope was we would come out of it stronger, smarter, better human beings.
I am heart sick too. Sick because it feels to me as though we’ve learned little in all these past years. Sick because most of what I am seeing and hearing does little to convince me otherwise.
I’d like you to know how much your words help. As someone with a larger voice than most of us here, you through your understanding and compassion, remind me to hold onto to hope. Thank you.
Thank you for your instruction, your books, you humor, and most of all your unique window on the world.
I hope we sone Will get a morse normal. Knep saften!
I have enjoyed many of your books throughout the years. Happy to add this to my collection. Thank you.
Your deep compassion comes through even though you have nothing to say. The images say so much. And even though you have nothing to say, so much comes from what you do say. Your words always grab me in different ways.Thank you for being who you are.
David, thank you for writing this post. I’m a Food & Lifestyle photographer from Vancouver and have been following your work since moving to Canada. Love your transparency and generous spirit in sharing and educating people about your passion. Keep it going! Would love to win and hang one your beautiful prints in my home. Take care!
For all of us there are times and events where we don’t have the words. When this is the case, all we can do be still and bear witness.
Sunday, June 07, 2020, 12:51 p.m.
Hi David, it is unbelievable how in a mere six months one now views an upturned planet bringing many of its inhabitants along with it. I know its been hard and continues to be hard on a host of people and professions, including artists, musicians, writers and photographers. Hang in there David and please keep writing, photographing and sharing your work, it means a lot to us.
As always your words said it well.Thank you for the generous gift. Stay well.
Thanks David for your abundant generosity and thoughtful sentiments. You seem to always have the right words for inspiration, sympathy, motivation and insight. I am hopeful we will all come out of this stronger and wiser. Hang in there and keep doing what you do so well.
Cheers
David: God Bless you. You have encouraged me to look beyond my lens, camera settings, and photoshop acumen to the message I’m trying to convey. What do I want to say with this image in my head? Once I started asking myself this question with a camera in my hand, my images changed dramatically. I still take pretty pictures, but now more often than not, there is a point of view behind them. Thanks
Hello and thank you very much for the ebook!
Thanks for the opportunity to view your book David. It is a tough time to be alive but alive I am and shooting photos of my town, Durham, NC. Lots of art going up in downtown Durham about the protests and I’ve tried to capture some of it and post to Instagram. I think we just have to wait out this virus and I hope to be shooting on the other side of it.
So many times people have tried to change this hate in our country and culture. I hope things will move further ahead this time and big changes will be made.❤️
As always, David, your photographs evoke an emotion so deep within me that I lack the words—as you did. I downloaded the e-book “Pilgrims….” and have gone through it twice already. The play of light always shown in your photos is incredible. And I love the intensity and joy on the faces, that you captured. Thank you, David, for your generosity and inspiration. It’s obvious you are inspired yourself and your words that you share in turn spark a positive feeling; as I said, it starts very deep andthat spark begins filling my mind and heart, outward. Thanks so much.
Thank you for a gift of such beauty. I shall treasure it. Always inspired by your work and words.
With travel currently restricted worldwide, it is very easy to forget the plight of others not in our sphere. Your book is a reminder that there is a wider macrocosm out there.
Also the photos being black & white adds a mystic to these proud people.
David, we’re here for a limited time to evolve. One of my favorite excerpts ends as follows:
“We have stopped for a moment to encounter each other, to meet, to love, to share. This is a precious moment, but it’s transient. It’s a little parenthesis in eternity. If we share with caring, lightheartedness and love, we will create abundance and joy for each other. And then this moment will have been worthwhile.”
In your ‘have nothing’ article, you’ve exemplified this passage. Well done, David.
Ken Johnston, what is this quote from? It is wonderful. Thank YOU for sharing.
I too have no words, only a maelstrom of emotions. I hope empathy, love and peace will eventually rise to the top for a majority of people.
My heart is breaking. I can not think of anything but the chaos and division in the world. Thank you because your blog has helped me through especially the last 3 months .
I wish with all my heart future generations have peace
Hello David! Glad to hear from you, even though you claim you have nothing to say. It would be hard to look away from all that is going on today here in the US and around the world. We are questioning everything that relates to health and safety and the underpinnings of society and culture-and it is entirely appropriate now and always. But I disagree that you are speechless. The thing about photography is that at its best it is relentlessly honest. It can reveal our shared humanity as well as the utter ugliness and inhumanity we are capable of. When the cameras are on in these days of pandemic and protest, those extremes are in stark relief. Your professional life has focused on highlighting our common humanity-people working, people celebrating, alone or in groups, skillfully using light and composition principles to distill the moment for honest and sympathetic impact. I’m grateful for your teaching and for the way you have shown through your work that no matter how different we may seem from each other, that that is the illusion. Thank you.
I have always felt that it is our actions that define our humanity and not our words, so I believe that your past decades of actions and the way you photograph what you are passionate about says more than you could in a blog post.
I’ve got nothing. I concur. Thank you for expressing in words and pictures what I am struggling with. Best to you and yours, and all of us.
David
I’m always amazed by your pictures that gives such beautiful expression from the people. Your photos really give a very good picture of the people and show the best of them every time. The lessons I remind are time, proximity and confidence and I try to apply them every time I shoot.
Keep you and your family safe
Olivier
There will always remain a time to be silent and a time to speak. Some need a voice to speak for them. Imagery is the canvas of words which together resound past hearing reaching to the depths of the soul touching the heart inspiring respect and awe and love. Keep up this good work!
I have read a few of your books and really enjoyed them. They’ve allowed me to look at photography from a different perspective – not ‘what is technically right?’, but ‘what am I trying to say?’. And that is huge. Right now, in my photography club (which can only meet online), I’m in two study groups (in addition to the regular on-line activities). We’ve all bought A Beautiful Anarchy and Heart of the Photograph. In each study group, the pattern is the same. Read the assigned chapters, meet online and discuss, pick something that resonated with us, GO OUT AND PHOTOGRAPH, post photos. At the next meeting, we discuss the photos (what, why, how do the viewers (other members of the group) react to a photo, and anything else about our attempts to express a feeling with our photos) and go through process again. Only the assigned reading change from meeting to meeting. What a great way to learn! Your work and writings have inspired change, challenged assumptions, and I think, made us better people and better photographers. Thank you! You continue to be a great role model, both as a human being, and as a photographer.
Thanks David. I appreciate your heart and your sharing it with the rest of us. The world is a diverse place and many of us may only see what’s in our local community. Your sharing opens our eyes to a VERY big world of spaces, colors and images.
I appreciate all your thoughts that you articulate so well. They certainly strike a chord with me as this pandemic has brought into focus so much pain around the world – the deaths, hunger, homelessness, povery, and prejudices. I can only offer prayer.
Passerà, amico mio, passerà.
My English hat not words enough to explain as I’ve enjoyed with the glances and smiles of your pilgrims or nomads. Thanks a lot.
Your work and words are always so incredibly well articulated and beautifully delivered. What a gift this would be. Thank you for using your platform for good.
David, I always enjoy reading and reflecting upon your posts. I have learned much from you. Yes, this has been a tough year so far with many hurting, and for many reasons. Photography is wonderful at telling stories that need to be told. Sometimes these stories are of grief, sometimes joy. I am thankful you are passing your wisdom along to others so they can learn to better capture these moments. Keep up the good work!
Thank you, David.
Thank you for your kind gift David.
These portraits bring us closer to our cousins around the world, and help us remember that many things should not be taken for granted, as water, community, and faith, whatever faith you choose.
And these black and white photos push us deep in the spirit of human beeing.
Kind wishes.
Alain
I enjoyed reading your newsletter. For a person who said he had nothing, you had a lot. your comments sere thought-provoking and very moving. thank you
Thanks, David. Thanks for your words. Although we are kilometres away (I am from Madrid, Spain), I must support your inner thoughts, because we all, as human beings, must agree and be together more than ever to tackle these thought situations.
You say that you don’t have words, you’re un blank. I think it’s not true: you have the power to touch our feelings and make us writing from the bottom of our hearts, inviting to realize and remember that we all are part of the same Mankind: we all together are stronger.
By the way, I received your last book two days ago, The Heart of The Photograph, and I am really enjoying the reading, as keith tour previos ones.
Thanks for your generosity. Take care!
We see the difference between us and any new person, especially if they are racially different. But that is is, and should only be, a moment. Then we can see the similarities and that makes all the difference.
Sometimes there are things that appear more important than photography. But even in these times, images can say more than words. Yes there are photographs of destruction in some US cities by the mob element & the video of the killing of George Floyd. But there are also photographs of a white cop shown taking the knee with a black protester. There are images of doctors & nurses working in ITU just doing their job- caring for the sick. There are images of people delivering food & medicines to their neighbours. There are images of care workers looking after the elderly in this pandemic. These images show that the world is full of ordinary, yet caring people. These are the images we must capture, to remind us of the goodness of people.
By the way I have just read your book. Learnt a lot. I made notes in a writing pad of the key points- it helps my learning. A much more enjoyable read than reading about what tricks to perform with photoshop.
Take care, keep safe.
Bonjour David
j’ai suivi la formation regard nomade en français (via le site apprendre la photo de Laurent Breillat) car je ne parle pas anglais et j’essaye de mettre en pratique tous tes conseils. j’y arrive à mon rythme et je pense que mes photos sont maintenant de bien meilleures qualité qu’avant.
Bonne continuation et merci pour les conseils.
Jean-Paul
Hello David
I followed the nomadic look training in French (via the Laurent Breillat photo learning site) because I do not speak English and I try to put all your advice into practice. I do it at my own pace and I think my photos are now much better quality than before.
Good luck and thank you for the advice.
Jean Paul
I appreciate how you articulated this. There is so much pressure to speak out but there is such value in processing and reflecting and speaking authentically when one has developed a clear understanding of both themselves and the larger situation. Social media turnaround time and human turnaround time are not one in the same. Some of the best voices on social right now are from those who have long been focused on thinking, acting, and reflecting on the current injustices and atrocities. Thank you for always being true to you and sharing that with others.
Thank you David. As always, This too, shall past
Love reading your Blog and Mails, but this one is special and gies deep under my skin. You express what I think, too.
Greets
Johannes
David, your art is inspiring but you demonstrate how much MORE important it is to be able to talk about your art. You said you didn’t have anything to say but you said a lot and you said it well. Thank you!
I can only say this: you have great compassion and I can feel your heart overflowing, and I wish their were more souls like yours.
You moved me also !
You are so right about hearts being heavy. On top of all of the things you mentioned, my wife has lost two uncles and two aunts, as well as her mother, in the past couple of years. Still, we have much to be thankful for. Our family is blessed with people of a variety of skin colours, and it gives us all the opportunity to learn about other cultures, and that, we don’t do enough. I always look forward to reading whatever you write. Stay safe and healthy!
David,
Thank you for sharing a digital copy of Pilgrims + Nomads? The photographs in this book are so inspiring and much needed for the the world to see. And THANK YOU for your continued compassionate humanitarian work! Your photographs and words make my world a better place.
Sending you light and love🙏🏻 during this time and always.
-Susan
We have many lessons to listen to right now. Mother earth trying to balance herself. Humanity trying to define ourselves. Thank you for your honesty and compassion.
Love reading your words and viewing your photos. Really like how you leave politics out of your pages because we are all in this together. Keep up the good work.
Over the years I’ve been thankful for your words and inspiration. We are all weary and heart-sick. Thank you David.
I downloaded the eBook you provided for free and the only thing I can say is that the work you’ve created is phenomenal. Great work 🙂
Thank you for your heart, compassion and honest post. I too am listening and learning and trying to contribute in the ways I can. Thank you for always generously sharing all your brilliant knowledge and work- I look forward to downloading and looking at Pilgrims + Nomads.
I wish the printed edition has the quality that the images I’ve got the opportunity to see in the digital copy of the book, deserve.
I’m really an inveterate bibliophile of photo books and I’d say that the pictures in the book are really a nice job They are good from a composition perspective, from quality and from a narrative perspective, although there are a few that are a bit redundant.
They are images where the spectator can see your message. Well done.
It’s our empathy, literally, the ability to feel what others are feeling and imagine ourselves in their place, which makes us part of the human race. David, you are the most human of humans I have had the pleasure to encounter. Please continue to show us the way through your thoughts (which you express so well), your words (which move so deeply), and your actions (which exhibit incredible generosity).
Gratefully,
-Don
Thank you for your honesty and the realness of your voice and the essence portrayed in your photography. Simply stunning.
Thank you David…I always appreciate your compassion and love and shine through your words….even your lack of words. I think we are all at a lack of words these days….
I thank you for the images and opportunity to do more
FYI you have taught me to be a better photographer
You truly don’t need words to say anything. Your photos say it all!
It will definitely be my goal in photography to have my photos speak for themselves. You have been an amazing mentor.
Thank you for your kind words and inspiring images David.
Great use of light, or lack of light. ” Where there is light, photographs can be made” W Eugene Smith.
Everyone is feeling out of sorts right now and I admire you for trying to be a light for everyone while also feeling down yourself. Thank you for being so generous with not only your work but also your time. I truly hope that you feel our gratitude.
David-
It’s clear from your work that you have a heart for humanity and especially those oppressed by life’s circumstances. Having been fortunate enough to participate in a medical mission to Kenya several years ago, I can attest that your images capture the contrasts that is Africa: a people living in desperate conditions but having hearts filled with joy, destitute by worldly standards but possessing a spiritual richness few of us can comprehend. Thank you for reflecting their character through your work.
My heart is broken, as well. This has been a long time coming, to many have needlessly been taken, I hope and pray this is a new beginning. Your images are a powerful testament to the beauty of all people and the wholeness of their lives, even, often in hardship and trials.
Thank you
I wish I would be able to say so much when feeling I’ve got nothing to say. The pandemic has created an acute awareness of the world in most human beings — but there are still too many who cannot relate to anything or anybody outside their limited, prejudiced views. They’re young, inexperienced souls who don’t know any better; they will learn in the end. Hopefully soon.
We are all feeling a bit battered – we can support each other. You are an inspiration David, we all value your wonderful work, your kindness and generosity and the sharing of your knowledge. You are an inspiration to us all. Thank you.
I have no words either. I think that you are so right that we need to listen. You have been helping us for a long time to listen and observe and to better our world. Thank you for offering your beautiful photographs.
You said you’ve got nothing, but that’s not true. You have gifts and have given them to the community. Not just the photography community or even the larger community of artists of all genres, but the larger community of those with passion and compassion.
And as seen in other media, we both know what it is to be staring at a blank page right now and have both the feeling that we have much to say, write, or create and not having the wherewithal to do it right now.
Stay true to yourself, my friend. We will all weather this storm together.
I think you had a lot to say in the few words you chose to say. I appreciate your honesty, and I for one have learned over time that your heart is full of compassion. Thank you for relentlessly sharing from your heart to make the world a better place.
David, you set me off on a whole different course in photography when I found your book, The Soul of the Camera! Reading and lingering over your books has been a highlight of my photography life.
Hang in there! We are all suffering in some way or another and your honest words are affirmative and healing for many.
Thank you for your books, your writing and your heart and soul. You are an inspiration!
As always, it’s a pleasure to read you even in this article… about your lack of words.
You’ve been a real inspiration during those hard times (what a year serisouly he?).
Thank you for all those podcasts and all those posts and, most definitely, the digital copy of your book. Can’t wait to dive in and be transported by your vision.
Thanks again
Thanks for the digital copy of Pilgrims and Nomads, the inspiration is welcome at this time.
I’ve been slowly working through The Compelling Frame, and looking at my own work in a time when I am not shooting as much. Pleasant surprise and abject horror exist side by side in response to my work. I am inspired to find ways to make more good photos, and maybe a few less that the guys at Photomat wouldn’t have printed, assuming them to be grave mistakes.
Thank you David for your very thoughtful blog posts -during this difficult time. More than once you had the words I needed to hear. Thanks also for the e-print of book and chance to win a signed copy
Even when you say you have nothing, you reveal the beauty of your heart in such a poignant way. So many of us are feeling the same way, and I truly hope this is the way forward to a future that is equitable and inclusive to all — it begins with us. 💗💗💗
Thank you so much for your words. You express much of what I feel. I hope to use what you have taught me, in my limited way, to tell some of this story. This cannot be a moment, to steal from Hamilton. Again, thanks.
You are such a class act all the way, David. Your emails are one of the very few I read every word of every single time one comes in. Know what? Our connection means the world to me too.
Sending love and light out to you. And health… hope… peace. Thank you for always saying everything I want and don’t want to say… perfectly. There is comfort in the silence too. You’re still my hero.:)
Thank you David for your thoughts and for giving us the opportunity to win 3 copy of your work. 🙂
David, you have been a saving grace of positive creativity during this entire time. While we are all feeling the cumulative weight of all the recent events, you’ve navigated a way to remind us to look out for others and search our own processes and hearts. Thank you. Take your moments when you need to. We all need to deposit into the emotional bank in order to be able to withdraw and offer to others.
Sometimes the images we create say more than words ever can.
Thank you for sharing yours…..
The world isn’t a simple place – it’s infinitely complex.
To be told that as a ‘white’ person I don’t understand, and that I can’t understand says so much about the person making that statement. I remember being gently told by a ‘coloured’ colleague that I wasn’t ‘white’ – there was an extraordinarily small number of white people. ‘Have a look at yourself in a mirror. You will see that you are ‘pinko-grey’.
I look around my community.
There are many shades of ‘pinko-grey – there are no ‘white’ people, there are no ‘black’ people.
So is there a ‘colour’ issue or is it one of ‘ethnic background’?
And if the latter – why?
David -thank you for your heartfelt words and your generosity. You are an amazing person – eye, heart and soul.
Thank you. We will get through together.
We are at a point in time where the use of the word struggle is a historical reflection for all us concerning people of color and all of us must now search individually and collectively to alleviate the continued struggles that so many face in our country and throughout the world..
David I always look forward to your thoughts and approach to the art of photography. Your insights are a gentle nudge to guide and assist in finding ones own path.
After seeing you amazing reportage about Pilgrims and nomads, I see that I missed so much in the past trips to Ethiopia and Kenya that I have to go back, and to bring in practise all what you teached us!!! and to meet those beautiful people again.
Thank you for your words, David
I feel compelled to add that if ever there is a photograph that depicts the roots of mankind, it is the photo of the mother with her child staring through the fire under the African moonlight …. simply stunning!
We are all in the midst of a social upheaval which I hope is for the betterment of all mankind. There are a lot of wonderful feelings and trepidation expressed in the comments above with lots of positivity as the outcome. Peace, Love, and Light to all.
David – I love your work, photos and words, your message, and especially your heart.
David, thanks for these heartfelt words Brother
David, Your words ring so true to my heart. We will see change, We will make it better.
Thanks you so much for your sensitivity and humanity. It’s a great inspiration for me.
Great idea to use your book Pilgrims and Nomads to stimulate our reflexion and compassion in these difficult times.
Take care.
Always inspired. Thank you.
May peace be with you and the world.
Ah men !
Thank you very much for your warm hearted words, touching me in my heart, and always switch to positive thinking and not beeing overwelmed by bad circumstances.
We can only change our thinking and by this our mind our behaviour and therefore maybe our environment can be influenced.
Get out and about, out of one’s comfort zone. Fill your mind with the wonder of the wide world out there. This book does that.
Greetings David,
Hope this message finds you well 🙂
This is the first time I am writing to you David, would like to thank you from the bottom of my heart for all your wisdom, knowledge, experiences that you have shared via your wonderful newsletters, mailer!
Your passion, hard work, and dedication are what has driven you to be such an amazing person, inspiring others to get going and never to give up on what is beyond our reach.
Love and respect,
RODNEY
Hi David, thanks for the digital copy of Pilgrims & Nomads, I can’t wait to look through it. I appreciate all the knowledge you share with all of us!
Mark
Thank you so much for sharing your heartfelt journey told so well in the images found in Pilgrims + Nomads David, of course I would love a signed, limited edition in print, who wouldn’t but I am more than happy with this digital version. Thank you and stay safe in these changing times.
David, your generosity is enormous and appreciated by the community of photographers. I read your messages and then gaze at the images, especially the ones from Varanasi, and the nomads, and know that you see the world you photograph. The thing you keep telling us is to see ourselves. Then see the picture. This last post is your honest self revealed to whoever happens to see it, to be there, here, in this time and yes, this privileged place we occupy. I’m going on too long. So I’ll just say thank you. Namaste.
Thank you David for your very heartfelt words!
I, too, am at a loss with what is going on. I find myself reading articles with tears in my eyes consistently these days. It haunts me to try to fathom how any human can debase other humans based on any reason, least of all the colour of their skin. I base my opinion of every human by their behaviour, not their birth colour, race, or religious beliefs. I wish with all my heart there was no such thing as white privilege and I am determined to show by example that it is unacceptable. I have been to Kenya in Africa and have never had the pleasure of such warm and embracing people in any other country as I did there.
Thank you so much for this beautiful book. It touches my heart and broadens my world.
Thank you for your kind words & lovely gesture x
To listen and observe and respond in any way, and certainly through the image as you have done and teach others to do, is one of the most profound ways of validating another’s experience. I am moved by your words in this blog, the words that appeal to us to find the best of humanity. I love that your images compel us to do just that. Continue to speak with your heart…. it is healing on so many levels. Thank you.
We are all pilgrims and nomads making our way through life. That we are here only for a season makes it all the more important that we treat the world and all its other inhabitants with respect, that we learn from those who’ve gone before us, and leave a legacy for those who will follow.
David,
Thank you so much for being you, and for showing me (and countless others) that it’s ok to not always have the answers. Your humanity shows through all you do and that more than anything makes you an inspiration.
Bill Bell
David, I was planning on writing you this week with a question anyway, but your timely and compassionate message certainly strikes a chord with me, so my question, technical in nature, means nothing by comparison.
Having looked at your work for many years now, it comes as no surprise that you feel and act the way you do. Thank you.
Stay safe. Stay healthy. Stat active.
I’ll save my question for a more appropriate time.
Chris in NM
Your photos and your inspiring comments are a wealth of words! With all my gratitude,
Emmanuel Bonnerot
France
This is such a generous gift. Travel has opened up the world to me: increased my awareness of differences but more importantly of what all humans share.
Stay safe. Stay home if you can. Help when and where you can. Continue being grateful for the gifts we have, and accepting and embracing that others have different realities and lifting up those who need it.
Namaste.
Thank you so much for the Digital copy. I pray that the world will move forward to a better understanding of the the right for all of us to live in peace.
Thank you for your note and heartfelt comments, David; many of us share your thoughts. Let’s ensure we demonstrate our feelings in meaningful ways.
David,
You are man of great wisdom and this post shows that to your greatest advantage. I always appreciate what you do and you inspire me as a photographer. The times we live in now are troubled but we will get through them and people like you help to light the way.
Many blessings,
Barry Rosier
Brass Frog Photography
Your word anew beautiful and expressive as I know the photos in your book will be. So many of us our privileged and will never know the depth of pain others carry. I am privileged not by what has happened for me and to me, but because of what has not happened. Humble prayers
I am heartsick with you and struggling with an ability to find words myself. Not even the ‘right’ words, just words at all. Your beautiful images in Africa always touch that place in my heart I leave behind each time I return home. I would be honored to receive a copy of your book, thank you.
thank you for sharing
David…
This is a time of great awakening. It hurts, it challenges, it transforms. Your work inspires so much. Your love of the people you photographs are evident in each and every image.
I treasure each of your books I own. Thankyou for this opportunity.
With love and gratitude
Laura
For a better world : all be pilgrims and nomads, all be not grim , all be not mad
Lovely book. Thank you for sharing the beauty of the human spirit.
David, you always offer more than words. Thank you for sharing your heart through your art.
Beautiful book of stunning photography.
Thank You, for your kind words. You have always been an inspiration to others as you share your work and travels around the world. I appreciate all that you have shared throughout the years. I think sometimes words don’t need to be said because your true friends and long time followers know where your heart is. Thank You.
Your expression of love and compassion is seen in your work. I would treasure a signed copy of your book. But more than that, I want you to continue to do the work you love . Through your work I’m able to see a bit more of the world and I thank you for that.
David, Thank-you so much for sharing your work. Your photographs made me smile in a time when there is so much hardship for so many people. I am also reminded that kindness is one thing we can all give to each other to make the world a better place. Thank you again.
Hi David,
Thoughts live on through words and images and your kindness pervades all. Thank you.
Tim
Beautiful book. Thank you for sharing.
Your words bring comfort because, like you, it’s hard to put into words the enormity of it all. Blessings!
Thank You David for all it your heartfelt and talented service to humanity and sharing so many facets of our global community, with beauty and integrity!!
Wow. Thanks David for this great book. Gave me a great insight into the tribal lives on these African people. Hope to see more digital downloads on this site. Cheers.
I always enjoy your input via the newsletters or the podcast. A physical copy of a book would be awesome. Stay well!
Cheers, Owen
I guess we are all speechless right now. Our world was getting out of control since the beginning of the year and now it’s just spinning. I was joking in the beginning of our lock-down – let’s not get overexcited just yet, the year is just starting. I wish I shut up then.
Hi David
Sometimes saying nothing says the most.
Sometimes we should just reflect on the events of the world and try to grasp the severity of the problems of the world, instead of trying to go on with our business as if that would make the problems disappear.
Once we have done that, maybe would could come back with new thoughts on how to fight injustice and intolerance?
This book is really great, I’ve got a feeling like this is the way of taking photos I always longed for. Being there where you have never been with genuine involvement in this unknown life means a lot. I’m grateful to David duChemin for the opportunity to learn from him. The book is worth having it at home not only for those who dream of mastering photography, but for those who love this diverse world.
Love your work. Love your words. Love your heart.
Hi David
Suffering from Cabin Fever due to lockdown, your powerful images took me straight back to Lalibela and brought a tear to my eye, along with the stunning Nomad Images.
This kind gesture is much appreciated
Best wishes
Martin
Hello from France. . I follow you thanks to Laurent…. thank you
David…You are an inspiration…not only in your photography, but as a person, as well. Thank you!
Born and bred in Africa myself, I appreciate your compassion and wish there were more like you. Thank you.
You are apologizing for not having enough for us but your honesty and generosity and your work is everything…. touched my heart. Thank you.
David, you are a thoughtful source of inspiration. Thank you.
Thanks for sharing another one of your great collections of photos of humanity. It helps us to remember how we are more similar than we are different.
Thanks again, Ed
Such a touching, moving, thoughtful series of comments. We, who capture the world with our eyes and our cameras, cannot help to be touched by it.
Thank you, David, for who you are, what you do, and your eloquence.
I’ve followed you for a long time, and am TOUCHED by your words here.
I’ve ALWAYS stuck to my view that photographers can talk all the gear and math they want, but unless a photo SPEAKS from humanity, it is worthless, and I’m not interested. Yours do speak.
Thank you.
THANK YOU, David.
As I see your images of the pilgrims’ faces close together I hope that COVID-19 spares them this year. Just read a piece about what the pandemic is like for those without internet – https://www.cnn.com/2020/06/07/world/internet-inequality-coronavirus-intl/index.html .
Stay well, be well, thank you for being there and for maintaining your outspoken stance for a saner world.
Lena
Although you say you have nothing this week, your post is profoundly impactful. Your giveaway, your precise language for expressing yourself, and your compassion. Thank you for elevating my morning David!
-Will
A great example for all of us, thank you David
Learned a lot from your books as well as your Compelling Frame mentorclass in composition. Studying the Masters is most useful. Thanks for the theory and all the suggestions..
What a year already. And we have not even passed the halfway point.
You’re a great man, David… and a great photographer! All the best!
Compassion and understanding is what we need more of. Thank you for sharing yours. I wish more people would.
A beautiful tribute to black lives.
I gain a lot of support from your work since years – this is the chance to say “thank you”. About your action on the murder of George Floyd: I guess this is what “humanitarian Photographer” really means! Thank you even more for that!
Your integrity to your art is both encouraging and should make us all want the world and how we tell our stories a more kind and truthful place. Thank you.
Beautiful. Thank you for the opportunity!
Appreciate your honesty David!
Blessings!
David,
Thank you so much for your time. It’s a dark time we’re going through but hopefully it will see us come out the other side better humans. I so appreciate your blogs and podcasts. Take care and be safe!
Laura
Thank you, as you state, we have much to be thankful for during these trying times.
Thank you so much for this gift, which is a gift to humanity
Thankfully, there will always be pilgrims and nomads searching for a better world.
Hi David, yes, we are living through very difficult but important events that we hope will result in better lives for so many people. I have always appreciated the great humanity that shines through your excellent photography and have by now collected a number of your outstanding books. I am now reading the Heart of the Photograph – it so thought provoking about how we should approach our photography – I would say a “must read”.Need I say “keep up the good work”?
Thanks David.
While I have gained a lot of useful insights into my own life as an artist by considering the thoughts you share, I agree that you are right. This is a time for listening.
I’d love to get a copy of your book that you so kindly offered. Please put my name in the hat.
Thanks!
Thank you! This is very generous of you in these troubled times. Stay safe!
This is clearly a time for reflection, about the now and about the future, for our nation and our planet. Your post reflects your honesty and thoughts about photography and how this art is changing the world.
Thank you, David.
Your compassion and generosity have always inspired. Your humanitarian work speaks volumes, even during these times when you’re left speechless.
I think most of us are heart-sick these days. The world remains a place of beauty, danger, life and death. Each day we strive to move forward, although some it’s enough to not move backwards. Thank you for sharing your gift and vision.
Well done – insightful as always. Thank-you.
These are definitely strange times. I always appreciate your words though and the way you see things. Thanks for being honest in this post and for offering the gesture of your book. Appreciate you!
After having traveled to Ethiopia last year for three weeks with my daughter and traveling without a group and completely avoiding ‘tourists’ I came home with a completely different view and love and appreciation of the local people. Under such abject poverty they live a completely different life and the people are so anti consumerist. They are intelligent and wise and care so much for each other, their religion and everything so opposite of what we value. I have an awesome respect for them. Your book attests that you have experienced similar values.
Thank for your messages of hope and gratitude.
Thank you, David, for your generous heart and listening spirit.
Need more people like you in this world.
God bless.
To light, healing and grace.
The clarity of your words is not even matched by the clarity of your photographs. Thanks for your thoughts.
Thank you for this gesture of compassion, David.
Merci pour cette promenade photographique des plus agréable.
Thanks for the opportunity to gain a signed copy of your fabulous book.
It is good to give away what we have as we have so much. Joy to you!
I am always touched by your work and your words. Thank you!
Love your work and books.
May the light be with you.
Best Wishes
Volker
We are going through difficult times at the moment. Mankind has to realise that we have to sort this issue out between ourselves. There is no magic wand to wave and everything will suddenly be o.k.
It has to be down to each individual one of us to change in whatever way we can and need to.