Behind almost every intriguing photo, there is an equally intriguing story that makes the photo more than just a record of the relative position of refracted photons. In outdoor photography, the most compelling images are earned by countless hours of research, hauling gear to remote areas, waking before the dawn, staying up long after sunset, and waiting patiently for exactly the right moment. Galleries and portfolios function well to promote the technical quality of one's work, but it seems to me that they usually ignore the adventure behind the photo, which is what makes Plein Air (outdoor) photography truly interesting to me. To that end, it is my intent to create a photo-journalistic blog that gives the image and the story equal weight.
I hope that this blog will effectively chronicle many of the amazing moments I have experienced while photographing the outdoors and make them available so that anyone can share in the experience, even if they might not otherwise be able or willing to take such an adventure on their own. Moreover, I hope it will inspire others to abandon their concrete jungles for some time out in what is left of the natural world.
I have considered creating a photoblog for many years now, but life has this tendency of getting in the way of such endeavors, and unfortunately I have been remise in taking the first steps to overcome these challenges for a long time. However, after a particularly amazing photography year in 2017, and with the birth of my son in early 2018, I finally have sufficient impetus behind me to create something that I can share with my family for years to come (even when my mind has long since lost the details, or no longer exists at all). I can only hope that sharing these stories will ignite the innate sense of adventure in young and old alike so that they can continue to explore and experience the world, especially to places where I have not.
I have been behind the camera consistently since 2006, so I have over 100,000 photos trapped in the aluminum vaults of countless hard drives that litter my home. Of course there simply isn't enough time nor the need for anyone else to go through every photo as I have, but I plan to highlight my favorite images which tend to correspond with my favorite stories. I will start with my most recent trip to Big Bend National Park in December of 2017, and then work backward to cover some key trips such as the Solar Eclipse, Pikes and Longs Peak, Yosemite, and more. Since there are many trips to cover, I'll likely focus on my favorites first and work from there. That being said though, new adventures will take precedence whenever they occur.
I hope that everyone who reads this blog leaves with the feeling that they were part of the experience of each image. Many of these photos are framed on my walls to remind me every day that adventure is only a small effort away from becoming a reality. In the future, I intend to set up a mechanism where anyone can purchase a print of the photos on my site. However, it will take a little time for me to get this set up, so please bear with me during that time.
I am dedicating this photoblog to all the friends and family that have supported me so that I could have these opportunities, and especially to my wife and son who make all the hard work to create this photoblog worthwhile. I appreciate everyone's continued support, and I look forward to all the great moments and adventures to come. Until then, I've included a few small images in this post as a teaser for what's to come.
© 2017-2018 Shaun C Tarpley
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