Journeying
If you want to put my photographic journey into context, you can read more About me here.
Looking back to where I am now, I recognise some specific steps along the way.
Mountains have taken (up) a large part of my life, particularly when guiding and leading groups in high mountain environments was my job. Even though this is now in the past, just being in, and breathing mountain air brings out the positive in me!
The first is the age I grew up in (yes I’m a late Baby Boomer!) where I’m reminded of joining my father in his homemade darkroom in the attic. Filled with chemicals, trays, rolls of negative film and an enlarger. All lit of course by a dim red light! It’s probably no surprise therefore that my preference for processing mountain landscape photos is mainly black & white and split-tone. Developing black & white as well as split-tone are both classic photography styles that bring out the natural contrast within the frame and draw the eye to the features of the subject.
Mountains of course have taken (up) a large part of my life, particularly when guiding and leading groups in high mountain environments was my job. Even though this is now in the past, just being in, and breathing mountain air brings out the positive in me!
When I left working in the NGO world full-time, I felt mentally spent. Then a global pandemic restricted the ability to get out into wilderness areas. When eventually we were allowed out and about again, one of the most significant healers for me and a way of reconnecting was through photography.
I believe photography should be primarily about being in the moment. Allowing ourselves to see things from a different perspective and ultimately taking the time to just “be”. Whether our subject is landscape, street, nature or abstract, looking through a viewfinder should allow us to focus on what we see immediately in front of us and for the distractions, busyness and noise of the world to fade away.
It’s in this vein that I’m currently working on creating some retreats with a photographic emphasis. Keep an eye out for these - and if you’d like some advance notice, just Message me here.
