A journey, close to home…

There is a photographer whose blog I follow who is a great source of inspiration for me. While his work is phenomenal and beautiful to view–gorgeous sunrises, clouds, and fog-wrapped Canadian landscapes, it’s his personal perspective and integrity that always grabs my attention–his words are always bare-boned honest…no fluff, no bull, no commercials. He photographs local landscapes to create an artistic moment in time, nothing more, nothing less. Sounds simple, and in many respects it is. But between the setting up of equipment, snapping the shutter, and posting the final image, there is obvious poetry that occurs. Reading his blog always stirs something inside…I am almost tingly with wanting to head out on a new shoot myself and find a way to express my own internal poetry.

This farm scene is one of several images I created when I assigned myself the challenge of “thinking globally, shooting locally” — a theme that resonated recently after reading the aforementioned blog. Taking inspiration from those larger-than-life landscapes featured in coffee table books from locations such as Yosimite, Banff, Antarctica, etc., my aim was to look outside my own door, and neighborhood, and capture a sense of unique local beauty. And while it sounds almost ridiculously simple, in my view, this assignment represents far more challenges than shooting that perfect image of Half Dome, Hoover Dam, or Niagara. It takes looking beyond the obvious to find the poetry. So here is a start on that journey, hope you enjoy.

f/22, 1/30th, ISO 200, 13 mm

Note: the inspirational blog mentioned above is penned by the talented photographer Dan Jurak, whose gorgeous images of his local corner of the world near Alberta keep me coming back for more.