True Love

From the moment I first picked up a camera the desire to make pictures has never waned.

It’s a true gift to find something to do with your life that sustains your soul and spirit. It’s like finally discovering the one. When you find that connection, the depth of the love is undeniable. It weaves itself into your very being and remains there until the day you die. Photography is like that for me. Just like true love, it has never diminished in it’s joy and lustre.

“There are precious few careers that can put you on a major league baseball field one day, in a helicopter the next day, and on a movie set the following day.”

Working in photography has opened all kinds of doors and enabled all kinds of experiences—particularly those that wouldn’t be possible working in any other profession. There are precious few careers that can put you on a major league baseball field one day, in a helicopter the next day, and on a movie set the following day. Sometimes I can’t believe that a career in photography actually exists as a choice in life.

A few weeks ago, I gathered with some friends at a local camera show. It was the kind of exhibit that’s filled with useless junk but also with the promise of finding some rare gem buried in the detritus. I hadn’t been to a show like this in years, but cruising the aisles of old cameras and their accessories brought back so many reminders about where we’d all been in photography and how much has changed.

One of the first things I spotted was a long-forgotten accessory for a Nikon F3 which allowed you to use an on-camera flash. A hot shoe had not been included on the F3 so this additional item was a necessity. I also found an old Polaroid instant back for a Nikon FM camera. Seeing this made me laugh because we now take it for granted that all images are instant. More than anything though, seeing those obsolete photographic fragments reminded me of how making pictures has a way of deeply weaving itself into the fabric of your life. Each item I saw brought back countless memories about the ways I’d used them as well as the experiences and photographs that each item helped create. Those memories were also a reminder of just how long I’ve loved photography—and how that love never fades.

A few years ago that love was extended when I was invited to teach a workshop to a group of passionate, eager, and committed photographers. Teaching introduced me to a facet of photography that intensified my love for the medium and the joy of sharing it with others. In the years following that first experience I’ve discovered there are few things more fulfilling than watching someone learn a new technique, develop the confidence to try it, and then seeing the results beautifully applied in a new photograph.

But, teaching is so much more than techniques and tools. It’s also about watching relationships develop that continue long after a workshop concludes. Often those relationships expand into long friendships, professional connections or valuable clients.

Soon, along with several other instructors, I’ll have the opportunity to teach once again. To say that I’m excited would be a tremendous understatement. This year’s instructors are some of the finest. Exploiting the depth of experience of these people who enjoy sharing what they know is the opportunity of a lifetime. I hope you’ll join us.

• There are several videos from previous workshops as well as interviews about the philosophy of the workshop, and biographies of each instructor that will give you a very good idea of what the week is like. I’ve also written in the past about the workshop and the career-changing opportunities that take place there.