I showed this happy snap as part of the 2015 photo safari blog, but I think it deserves another play. Our version of this platitude is “Photography doesn’t begin until the pavement ends.” When given the choice, we take the road less paved and hope it will make all the difference to our photographic lives.
The unpaved road means we are farther away from civilization and are less likely to have our landscape photographs mucked up with the detritus of a disposable society. Yes, you can photoshop a beer can out of the foreground, but isn’t it much nicer when it is not there at all?
The dirt road represents a dichotomy of experiences; it can be a new experience for those of us used to pavement and the old experience of something rustic and undomesticated. Less traveled means we can most likely find places with few people.
I look for locations where there is evidence of people, but they are not present at the moment. Most photographs of abandoned places seem to really stress the “abandoned” part that seems to say, “This place is empty because everyone is gone and not coming back,” rather than “No one is here right now, but we do have plans to return.”
With any luck I've started down some dirt road somewhere, camera and tripod at the ready. Of course, I'll share what's inspired me along this particular path.
Photo Safari XXXVI is scheduled to begin in a couple of days. Brooks Jensen and I are heading back out on the road. Well, actually, Brooks is already out there on the road and I am going to join him for yet another photographic adventure. Stay tuned for some daily blog posts from the road.
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