This week saw another episode of Art Wolfe LIVE! come and go. Hard to believe we’ve been doing the new format for 5 months already, but here we are! Hopefully you’ve been enjoying it, and I also hope my enthusiasm comes through each episode because I truly enjoy knowing I’m getting to connect with everyone.
It’s really hard for me to fathom how we did Tequila Time each and every week for several months. It may seem like a quick little live-stream but we try to put some thought into bringing you an interesting and informative half-hour and will continue to do so!
Catch Art Wolfe LIVE! the final Tuesday of each month at 6 pm here on the West Coast, 9 out East – subject of course to my travel schedule!
Leave a comment below if there’s a topic you’d love to see addressed on a future edition of Art Wolfe LIVE! Bonus points of it ties into current events.
I’m pleased to be joining B&H Photo Video and the National Parks At Night organization to discuss my most recent book Night On Earth in a couple weeks. How might you catch my talk and many MANY more insights into photographing between dusk and dawn? I’m glad you asked!
WHAT:
The Night Photography Summit
WHO:
More than 25 presenters teaching over 40 classes and participating in 3 panel discussions on the subject of night photography
When:
February 4 – 6, 2022 – with access for all participants to all recordings of the summit presentations through February 7, 2023!
Where:
Everything will be online – find out more information on the official Night Photo Summit Page by clicking here.
Why:
You’re a photographer of any skill level who wants to up your knowledge of shooting at night, astrophotography, and much much more!
I also have a number of new workshops being added in the coming months. It’s been tough to navigate the calendar with how fast things change in terms of COVID, but my staff is getting quite good at it and we take every precaution. We may not be able to buy happiness, but we can purchase a little peace of mind in the form of travel insurance and I highly recommend utilizing it, especially during these *deep breath* unprecedented times.
As in 2020, we did what we could to get through 2021. There was a rush to a new normal, but then a backslide. Thanks to the miracle workers at Moderna and Pfizer I was able to get back on the road, traveling for projects and teaching in-person workshops.
I began the year photographing in Kenya, taught workshops in Arizona, Utah, Washington, Oregon, California, Alaska, Iceland, and made two trips to Mexico. The highlight of my year was photographing the Mundari cattle-herders and their royal cattle in the South Sudan. This was a trip that I had been dreaming of doing for decades and it finally came to pass.
In September Tequila Time morphed into Art Wolfe Live, a very informal monthly show on YouTube and Facebook Live riffing on current events and photo discoveries and techniques. Parimal Deshpande and I continued with Earth Is Our Witness and there are now over forty episodes featuring discussions with some of the top photographers.
After a long wait for books, Night on Earth was published by Earth Aware Editions. It garnered glowing reviews from both editorial critics and book collectors. In December I was joined by Ruskin Hartley of the International Dark-Sky Association at Town Hall Seattle for a presentation. I also wrote the foreword for Private Gardens of the Pacific Northwest.
2021 keynotes included the Outsiders Landscape Photography Conference, the North American Nature Photography Association, and the Photographic Society of America. It was a distinct honor to be the recipient of the first Fine Art in Nature Photography Award.
I was pleased to be a part of the latest Remembering Wildlife book on African wild dogs as well the We Are Puget Sound: Discovering and Recovering the Salish Sea group exhibition here in Washington.
Despite an inauspicious start I hope that 2022 brings better things. I look forward to doing international workshops that have been rescheduled from 2020 (I am eternally grateful to those who have kept their reservations), working on new book projects, and doing ever more experimentation with photography. Even after decades of shooting, it feeds my soul and is a never-ending source of happiness. I hope to see you in the field or online!
It goes without saying that the past couple of years have been difficult to say the least, but we march forward! I’m blessed in that I’m very rarely at a loss for motivation and a project to work on, but I also understand how hard it can be to get back into the groove. To that end, here are 10 random tips off the top of my head to help get your 2022 rolling if the winter months and holidays had the majority of your focus:
1. Opening with one that might be a bit personal and timely to me – but get yourself patched up and moving forward! I’m taking care of a couple minor surgeries this month. If you’ve been putting any procedures off that will see you healthier and more mobile in the field, the sooner your recovery is behind you the better!
2. Pick a fine artist or photographer you admire and who’s work you appreciate, and challenge yourself to emulate their work with your camera. Having direction and context is a great motivator!
3. Keep in mind that every photo you take needn’t be a masterpiece. For every great shot I decide to share, there are plenty more left on the hard drive. The greatest artists in the world have sketchbooks full of work no one will every see, but like anything else practice makes perfect!
4. If money is not a huge barrier for you, is it time to upgrade? Over the past two years I’ve made the switch to Canon’s mirrorless system and I’m loving it!
5. If money DOES happen to be a bit of a barrier, check your local camera stores or online services for camera gear and rent some lenses for your system that you don’t already own. Changing your perspective can be huge!
6. Make new friends! Most cities have camera clubs, or use things like the MeetUp app to locate like-minded individuals.
7. Check your local guides to parks and recreation, or take a trip a short road trip to a city or town you’re not as familiar with and do some exploring. The process of scouting locations for our workshops often give me ideas I didn’t know I was looking for.
8. Libraries are still a thing!
9. Maybe what you need to be motivated this year isn’t related to photography at all. Is there a passion from your past that you’ve back-burnered for years? Maybe it’s time to work on that novel. I recently visited the Blick art supply store here in Seattle to prepare to do some fine art painting.
10. Last but not least – tune in to Art Wolfe Live, this blog, and stay up to date on my events page – I’ll do my best to keep you motivated!
This week saw another episode of Art Wolfe LIVE! come and go. Hard to believe we’ve been doing the new format for 5 months already, but here we are! Hopefully you’ve been enjoying it, and I also hope my enthusiasm comes through each episode because I truly enjoy knowing I’m getting to connect with everyone.
