Friday, February 25, 2011

Pivotal | Adventure Lifestyle Photographer


Lately a few people in the mountain community have been talking about real adventure as being something you come back from, that has changed you in some way. I think that this morning, that may have happened. Even if just in a little way.

This morning I left my place (35 minutes North of Calgary)at 5 am and drove for 2 hours to Castle Junction where I met up with a new photographer friend, Paul Zizka. I recently met Paul through Twitter when I was giving Meghan Ward (The Campsite)a quick snow kiting demo on Lac Des Arc.I have been dipping my feet into the landscape photography genre and was super excited to try something in a location with massive potential. Not too mention shoot alongside with Paul and maybe get a chance to glean some of the knowledge he has amassed through the building of a 6000 plus mountain stock library.

It was a little scattered when we started out, wondering if wide shots from the river would be good or should we just head towards the fog and trees on the other side (did I mention it was -38 degrees also). Soon we were on the other side and in minutes, found myself on my own walking the North bank looking for something but I wasn't sure what. I have read some Articles by Darwin (Wigget) and Samantha (Chrysanthou), particularly about the difference between Trophy Hunting and Immersion. At this point I felt like the Trophy Hunter and my prize game was no where to be found.I did get a few cool shots and started to find a little groove when I ran into Paul and he mentioned he needed to go. No big deal, it was a great experience and it was nice to get out. Before we parted both of us agreed I should stay and make the most of it, so I turned back to the river and walked back along the bank.

Walking towards the sun and the trees I began to feel more relaxed. I had captured some cool shots and was thankful for the time with Paul, essentially I was done looking for "the shot" and was now just waiting. I could tell that something would look really cool framed up and just needed a little "magic" to really make the images pop. A small breeze started pushing the fog from the river back into the trees between the sun and my position and like a switch, my imagination was set to full attention. I started swinging the frame right to left, then vertical and back while ratcheting my shutter speeds to get the most color from the composition.

These images were not what I came for. They are not the shots I had imagined on my drive down. That did not happen. What did happen is a pivotal experience that has changed the way I see the environment around me. A new realization that is floating just beneath the surface of what I thought (or have until now)I was looking for.

It comes down to this; At any given time, there are places in space (in our world) where magic happens whether we are there or not. Just the right conditions, so early in the morning, at sunset, the temperature, the position of light, so many factors that cross at just the right time, creating amazing designs, shapes and contrasts that stun the imagination. It is exciting, it fills me with a new energy and the desire to learn and get out there even more. I feel like for even just a few minutes, I was fully immersed. And the odds of it happening again will always be greater if I create the oppurtunity to be in these places more often.