Starting Out
Launching a project is a scary, especially a business based on showing your art to the world. I’ve been taking photographs for many years without really thinking too much about them. Like most people, I was interested in photographing my children and not much else. Something changed for me when I moved to Colorado in 2011. The obvious choice is that Colorado is full of the epic landscapes that make such incredible photographs. The more that I began to explore my new home, the more I wanted to find a way to capture a piece of that beauty. My focus shifted from photographing my kids to photographing the natural world.
Photography is more than just picking up a camera and pointing it at the horizon or a pretty face. There is a difference between a photo that captures a memory and a piece of art. For each trip that I have taken into the wild, I have taken a camera. On a backpacking trip where everything you need to survive is carried on your body and every extra pound can count in blisters and body aches, it is a heavy addition. I’ve certainly questioned the necessity of the extra weight. One time I did decide it was too much and left my camera at home in favor of my iPhone. While the experience was equally amazing as any other adventure, I felt the lack. As we came over a pass and the world opened up in front of my eyes I knew that any photo I could capture would be ok, but not great. I’ve never considered leaving my “real camera” at home again.
In the last few months as the world has been slowly imploding, I have begun to think more about photography. Getting out on a trail is one of the few “safe” activities left. I’ve gone out on both solo and socially-distanced group hikes. As I stand behind the camera, I realize that there are no pictures of me enjoying the adventure, and sometimes I’m so focused on setting up the shot I forget to enjoy the experience. And that is the dilemma of the photographer. If you are part of a group, part of a family, trying to enjoy the experience and trying to get good pictures of the experience can be opposing goals. Not to mention that YOU will never appear in those pictures with the rest of your family.
Here’s the thing. I love taking the photos. I don’t care what I’m photographing - nature, wildlife, people, insects, doesn’t matter. And then came the idea for a business of sorts. What if I go with you on your adventure, dear reader, and be your own personal photojournalist? What if you didn’t have to worry about the photographs and memories of your adventure? What if a few weeks after your trip, a totally personalized, professional printed photo album arrived at your door with all the best moments immortalized for you, and you never had to lift a finger?
That’s it. That’s my proposal. You adventure, I’ll photograph.
