Those who know me will know that I don't take a lot of pictures in urban or even suburban environments (or places if you prefer). The truth is that I am not fond of cities. I've been to quite a few and overall they all seem to be about the same to me. Lots of people living in close proximity to each other. Nothing really wrong with this. It's just not a place I enjoy being most of the time. I have enjoyed being in cities at times and lived in them for a while. I lived in the City of Vancouver, BC for about five years. Didn't take a lot of pictures actually inside Vancouver. Still haven't and that was close to thirty years ago that I lived there.
My passion is photography that is not urban. I love the wilderness. As I write this blog post I am currently camping in the interior of British Columbia. I am on a photography trip. I am exploring a lot of areas I haven't been to or had the chance to explore other than driving through on the highway on my way to somewhere else. I love being able to leave the paved road, put the pickup in four-wheel drive and just see what is there.
Doing nature, wilderness, wildlife photography or whatever you want to call it means you have to prepare for a few things. In a city or town if you need urgent help it is fairly easy to get. You call 911 and help comes. When you're a three hour drive from the paved road using four-wheel drive you can't just reach for your cell phone to call for help. The best thing to do is not allow yourself to get into an emergency situation. There are devices which can connect you with a satellite for communications but these don't always work either. You really need to plan ahead.
One of the nice parts about photography in the wilderness is you don't have people coming up to you, while you're busy attempting to take a picture, asking if you're a photographer. This has happened to me more than once. I'm using a camera to take pictures. It sure seems like I'm a photographer. I don't hate this but sometimes it can be annoying.
Photography out in the wilderness does require more than just a camera and a lens. If you're going to be out in the backcountry you will need to take your other needs with you. Food, a method to prepare food, a place to sleep are just a few for starters. I happen to have lots of experience with both camping and photography. As mentioned previously I received my first camera when I was five years old. My parents took me camping for the first time when I was about a year old. I guess you could say that I've got four more years of camping experience than photography experience. Is it any wonder that I love doing both, either separately or together.
Something that makes nature photography so desirable, particularly in British Columbia, is the abundance of epic scenery. BC has been blessed if not spoiled with amazing scenery. I love the challenge of being able to capture it in a picture and share it with others. Not everyone is as fortunate as myself to be able to travel and experience these amazing locations. Hopefully my little bit of skill with a camera and lens can help others enjoy.
Urban photography is a wonderful challenge. I know quite a few photographers who are very skilled at capturing the (sub)urban locations in a photograph. I really appreciate their work. Especially night photography in a city locale. That is a skill that I have just not had good success at developing. Yes, I know I could work at it more but there are others who are so good at that and have a great eye for it. My passion just happens to be away from all that.
Well, thanks for putting up with this rant, for lack of a better term. Off to hunt more waterfalls.
