The Way We See It: September 2009

Sunday, September 13, 2009

Gallery at the Daily Grind

On Saturday September 12, Tamy and I hosted a display of images from our travels to Tanzania. While I realize that a 14 day safari doesn’t a gallery make, our limited days in Tanzania resulted in more unique photographic opportunities than our twelve weeks of travel to Costa Rica. During our trip to Tanzania, we spent nearly one hundred hours pursuing unique destinations, wildlife and landscapes. Africa was a transformative experience for us, and we felt the need to share it with others.

We hung a total of twenty images on the “Grind’s” gallery wall and displayed twenty unframed pics throughout the coffee shop. This was also an opportunity to share our self-published book “Jambo Tanzania,” which can be purchased here from Blurb books. This book includes more than 80 photographs, discussions about ecology, and stories about our travels to Africa.

So why do it?...

We don’t make a living taking pictures... as a matter of fact, we make a living so that we can take pictures. With over 100,000 images saved to hard-drives and another 30,000 slides in storage, what are we to do with it all?

Photography is about sharing one’s vision and experiences. While some photographers strive to share their work via published media, others prefer the intimacy of a gallery. I love the gallery format! Galleries allow us to interact with others, tell stories, and experience our work from another’s perspective.

During our brief two hour opening, we shared Tanzania with more than fifty people. We waxed poetic about elephants mudding at watering holes, aggressive lions, and the safari experience. It was a lot of effort to make our gallery happen, but it was worth all of the time and energy we invested.

“Jambo Tanzania” will be on display at the Daily Grind Coffee House in Stillwater, MN through the month of September. See our work there, enjoy a latte and go on Safari.

Saturday, September 5, 2009

Be a Tourist Near Home

I’m always surprised by the photographic potential that exists within 5 miles of my home. While I enjoy a good road trip and air travel to exotic locations, there is nothing like the familiarity of “home base.” When I have nowhere to go, I take advantage of this familiarity, and focus on the essence of photography: light, subject, and composition.

Friday, September 4, 2009

The "A: Job

It’s the end of summer and the “A” job is about to begin once again.

I consider myself to be one of the lucky ones. My work is fulfilling because I can study and talk about my passion every day. And although I am getting older, my clients keep me young. There is little doubt that teaching high school biology is a challenging way to making a living, but it is also a great way to inspire others to think about their place in the natural world. Teaching is my crusade against ignorance and waste.

While I love my work, I mourn the loss of my time. My summers are about my family and my photography, while the other ten months are about teaching. To compensate for this loss of creative freedom, I fall into the “weekend warrior” mode. Each Saturday and Sunday I wake up early, throw on my ragged outdoor clothes, and search for inspiration. While this may not be as exciting as traveling to Africa, Costa Rica, or the Great Plains, weekend shooting grounds me. This type of photography breaks up the routine of the work week and allows me to make peace with myself. There is no doubt that come December I will long for an endless summer, but until that time, I will search for inspiration where it can be found and enjoy my two passions...