The Traveler's Inner Journey

"Yes, the desire to go traveling is not always about wanting to reach place X or Y.  It's about making a particular change in ourselves.  The journey we really require is inner.  Therefore, it would be good if people in the travel industry gave a little recognition to this."  Alain de Botton, from an interview by Frank Bures on WorldHum. 

This is the sentiment that I convey, though maybe not as eloquently, in my Travel Planning workshops.  Its the "Why" of travel, rather than just the "Where."  Its what makes a trip satisfying and beneficial, what makes us want to keep traveling and willing to put up with the really-in-the-long-run-minor hassles that attempt to discourage us in our travels, but really have no effect on "our journey."  Journey On!   

http://www.worldhum.com/features/travel-interviews/interview-with-alain-de-botton-a-week-at-the-airport-20091031/

Taking Photographs that Move You

It was quite clear the moment we arrived at Del Rey Beach that I was in my element.  Midway between Astoria and Seaside along Oregon's northwest coast, Del Rey is a flat, sandy beach fronting the wild Pacific Ocean.  Tillamook Head is visible to the south; fields of golden dunegrass top the sand dunes; and the relentless waves keep coming.  I hadn't taken "non-family" photos in a while, but within moments of arriving, I was doing nothing but.

There is no place closer to heaven and the Spirit than at an ocean beach (IMHO).  The winds blow, the waves come, the sky goes on seemingly forever.  At locations such as Del Rey, there is little human habitation in sight (especially when looking out to sea!).  The power of the waves, breaking off shore and then rolling up the beach in unpredictable ways, is awe-some and mesmorizing.   

Arriving there close to sunset meant an everchanging palette of sea and sky unfolding before me.  By re-framing the shot, I was able to portray the ocean as one of power and might or as a place of seemingly calm solitude.  The colors, too, enforced the themes, with the golden hues connoting royalty and power, while the blue tones denoting solemnity and quietude.

 

Two memory cards later, with the sun down and the sky ever darkening, it was reluntantly time to move on.  I returned to the Pacific the following two days at different times of day and different locales, always driven to photograph yet again.  Sometimes we need a little push to get back in the photographic mode.  When you need that push, going to the place where you can be in "Your Element" is a sure jump-start.  The ocean is one of those places for me.  Find yours. 

Check Out Lightbox Gallery in Astoria (Oregon)

We're down in Astoria for a few days and stumbed across a real live photography gallery. The genre is becoming few and far between these days (the Benham Photo Gallery just closed in Seattle). I had a pleasant chat with Michael, one of the gallery's owners. The gallery is striving to provide a venue for photographic exhibitions, a B+W and color lab for use by gallery members and is moving into the offering of workshops in the near future. Photo prices are most reasonable (the range for framed prints seemed to be from $75 to $400), with the gallery believing that the right price will result in more overall sales. Check it out next time you're visiting the Oregon coast.

http://lightbox-photographic.com/

Travel Planning and Vacation Photography Workshops

I'm please to announce that I will be offering two workshops this winter/spring. The first is an Introduction to Travel Planning - March 13 and 20, 9:30am - 11:30 am at The Traveler on Winslow Way, downtown Bainbridge Island, Washington. The Traveler, a great travel bookstore and travel accessories emporium, is sponsoring the workshop. A hearty thank-you to Susan and Barbara, the co-owners of The Traveler.

The second workshop is on Vacation Photography. It, too, will be at The Traveler, April 17 and 24, 9:00am - noon. Additional workshop details, etc. will be available soon. Please contact me at chuck@chuckkirchner.com to be put on the mailing list for details.

Great Railway Bazaar II

Probably my favorite travel narrative ever is Paul Theroux's Great Railway Bazaar. It captured my imagination and accompanied me on a coach potato journey from Europe to Asia and back. Thirty-three years later (YIKES!), Mr. Theroux undertook a similar journey from London to Singapore to Tokyo to Moscow to London, mostly via train once again. Paul is definitely more acerbic than he was 33 years ago, but perhaps less so than in some of his more recent tomes.

It took me a while to get into the book, but once I was on board the train through Georgia and Azerbaijan, I was once again hooked. Definitely a if-its-Tuesday-it must-be-Bangalore type of narrative, he includes enough encounters of fellow train cabin mates and locals in big and small towns alike to keep you wanting more. His political observations on the ruthlessness of national leaders such as the head of Turkmenistan and Singapore can be a bit ponderous (though right on the mark IMHO), but its what we've come to expect from Mr. Theroux. All in all, I heartily recommend the book and wish I had the guts (and time) to undertake a similar journey. And, since he's older than I, maybe I will!

I Can't Imagine Not Having Art

The YouTube video linked below succintly states the importance of art to the artist. Worth a view.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UkMGb2Y3Ttw&feature=player_embedded

An Empowering and Exciting Time in Photography

"Photography is not dead and if we can harness all the creativity and tools available to us, we can make some amazing work and deliver it to audiences we never dreamed of reaching before. I see this as an empowering and exciting time." Ami Vitale, documentary photographer, as quoted from her website, http://www.amivitale.com/.

Ami is an amazing photographer. I had the opportunity to spend a weekend with her and other photographers in 2008 discussing documenting life and making extraordinary images of the same. It was a weekend well spent and I've redoubled my photographic efforts since that weekend. Her quote above, of very recent vintage, comes at a difficult time for many photographers and may be just the inspiration to get the creative juices flowing again.

Also check out her video shot with the new Nikon 300S at the same website.