Kenya 2010: Final Thoughts

Photography is much more than a record of some fleeting moment in time. The images we produce are a reflection of our experiences and lives. The well known author and travel photographer Rick Sammon, claims... "the camera looks both ways." In short, the final image is more than reflected light striking a sensor or piece of film, it is an expression of the artist, photographer, and seer. It is a purposeful interpretation of the moment.

While the tools required to produce todays' digital images are more sophisticated than the light-tight boxes that once clung to sheets of film, it is the intent of the image-maker that continues to define the final photograph. The modern camera can suggest an exposure, composition, and final processing, but the photographer still gets to choose the moment... the perspective... the time in which the shutter is released.

All of this modern technology simplifies and complicates the photo-experience. The dichotomy can confound the novice and experienced shooter, and enable a paralysis that blocks creativity. While modern cameras are more capable than ever, these capabilities can obstruct the seer from seeing. When the tools cloud our vision and stifle our potential, we must seek a new balance... we must learn to manipulate the tools rather than allowing the tools to manipulate us. 

Immerse yourself in your image making experience; be the vision maker. 
Travel with your gear, take a photo walk, and carry the camera. Use your tools to imprint your mark on the fleeting event and seek to do more than document the occasion. Our time in Kenya was about being there... living the moment... telling a story... sharing a vision.

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