traveluncommon

Written from the first person point of view …I just can’t talk about myself in the third person!

I have been involved in documenting weddings since 2001. It didn’t take very long for me to completely burn out of shooting video. Thankfully my on-again-off-again passion for photography kicked in full force and I was able to successfully make the transition. By 2003 I had finished my last wedding video and focused on building a small photography business: “QC Photo”.

The “QC” is for “Quad Cities”. A series of more than four cities & communities that are anchored by Davenport & Bettendorf, Iowa and Moline & Rock Island, Illinois.

About six months ago I was feeling something but couldn’t put my finger on it. My college major was Journalsim but I never did go down that path in a traditional sense. I’ve always been fascinated by the life of those who put it all on the line to go to the ends of the earth on the hope that they will get the story or, in the case of what I’m interested in, get the shot. I have to be careful because it’s easy for me to stay up all night looking at the images these people get to shoot and thinking to myself “why not me”.

That was a good question and a few months ago I could not come up with an answer so I began planning the “Building the Platform” project based off of the behind-the-scenes coverage I shot the past few years for the Creative Christmas show.

An interview I read with VII Photographer, Ron Haviv, who gave advice to budding photojournalists and documentary photographers who, to paraphrase, advised those with the desire to do this kind of work to get out there and do it. To find their vision and shoot it without the safety net of being assigned the story by a publication. To freelance. To quit daydreaming about it and do what it takes to get out there. This was not his exact quote but it’s what I got out of what he had to say on the subject.

So here I am, starting down a road to tell stories on a much bigger scale than I am accustomed to and delighting in the idea that I’m getting in way over my head! Being a tourist is not what I have in mind. I want to travel “with a purpose”. To take the documentary-mentality of working professional photojournalists & documentary photographers and apply it to what I’ve experienced & learned professionally. I want to tell stories about people and, when necessary, use words. I have my friend Scott to thank for that last bit!

I have no idea what this website will become. For now this blog is simply designed as a place for me to keep track of what I’m feeling & thinking wherever I go on the road and to share it with anybody who has insomnia or is named “Mom” or “Dad” …really, who else is going to read this? For 2007 & 2008 my planned schedule is not going to take me out of the US so, to be honest, this site could very well be called “Travel Common”! What may make it a bit “uncommon” is that I want to tell stories about people who live in all kinds of cities around the US …not just the obvious major cities that I so enjoy being in!

I am going to try to do a fair amount of travelling while continuing to work with a select (ie “small”) number of wedding clients in 2008. In addition to this I am looking forward to another rewarding year working as a consultant for Pictage. I am thankful for the ability to do my work helping studios who use Pictage from anywhere in the US. This flexibility is what will make shooting my upcoming projects possible and I appreciate the “home team” in the LA office for their support!