On the Road...

While I've been traveling, I have been thinking a lot about the old adage "Take only pictures, Leave only footprints" and how the phenomenon of photo documenting a road trip is one of the cultural expectations. But, for a photographer, is it the photos that are the first priority, or the journey.

"Henry David Thoreau once wrote that 'a man has not seen a thing until he has felt it,' and he was said to have been scornful of those who saw nothing in nature but a picture. These are fair comments. We go to Lake Superior because we do indeed want to 'feel' the land we are photographing. Our compulsion to use cameras and to record pleasurable experiences and phenomena is secondary to the simple joy of being there." - John and Janet Foster, Adventures in Wild Canada,1984

How can we separate ourselves from our craft sufficiently that we are not "hunting" the photo, but instead just enjoy the ride and shoot the things that unfold around us? If we are indeed taking photos to remember the experience, we should make every effort to ensure that the memory we are preserving is not merely of taking a picture. Although I have come up with no hard and fast rules for accomplishing this, I have found that simply being mindful of it drives me to explore more facets of the world in front of my camera. Try to remember smells, sounds, phrases, people. Try turning your camera off for a while or even (God forbid) leaving your camera in the car. Look for stories, introduce yourself boldly to strangers and listen to them. Take the slower roads, try the local cuisine, and always, ALWAYS, bring a towel!