Welcome to another international travel workshop, this time friend and fellow photographer Jay Goodrich is accompanying me to China. For the next 14 days we will be traveling through some of the most industrialized parts of China as well as the most rural. We will get to experience multiple cultures and multiple disciplines of photography. Never wanting to waste any time while traveling abroad, Jay and I decided to head out into Shanghai yesterday to look for unique and interesting compositions throughout the city. Here is what we found. The key here is that by trying to push your creativity beyond the standard vision of just recording what you see, you can walk away highlighting a different perspective of the world for your viewer.
I am very proud to announce that the Urban Forestry Project, created by the Green Seattle Partnership in conjunction with Regalis, has won Environmental Education Association of Washington’s Community Catalyst Award. I worked on and photographed for this wonderful project with the students of Gatewood Elementary School and Chief Sealth International High School in West Seattle, my alma mater. The catalyst project for the Urban Forestry Project was cleaning up and planting trees in the Pelly Place Natural Area with Nobel Peace Prize laureate Wangari Maathai. It was truly inspirational.
• The Green Seattle Partnership (GSP) is composed of Seattle-based entities including the Cascade Land Conservancy and Seattle Parks and Recreation. Under their leadership, grant funds were acquired from the US Forest Service with the stated purpose of creating a compelling program that would model educational learning objectives of the Seattle School District and integrate with Seattle Parks’ Environmental Learning Centers.
• The Urban Forestry Project (UFP) is a groundbreaking program that educates and empowers high school, middle, and elementary school students to explore urban forestry issues on lands adjacent to their schools and improve the health of their forests in a sustainable way. Students participate in real-world science by evaluating the habitat, forming a study hypothesis, designing their study, and implementing field investigations based on their research. The UFP provides significant and innovative opportunities for schools to meet state standards, especially in the STEM disciplines. The Urban Forestry Project incorporates multi-grade teaching that begins with high school students conducting scientific investigations that analyze the health of their local forests.
In February Becky Jones traveled with Art to Japan. Her thoughts:
It didn’t take me long to realize I was the least experienced of the group and to somewhat, panicked! But my worries were to become non-existent as Art helped me in the field and everyone else on the trip, including Gavriel, pitched in to help me learn more about Lightroom-3 and processing my photos. In the end I learned more on this trip then I have in all the other educational classes I have taken. There is something about riding along on a bus for two hours beside a new friend that is taking the time to show you, on your laptop, how to process your photos for that nights critique. I didn’t even feel bad during the critique as Art pointed out my good points and only what he thought I might do with the photos to improve them. I went home extremely happy as I knew I was now set up to do a much better job of photographing and processing my pictures. I am also signed up for the China trip and can’t wait to try out my new photographic abilities with Art and a new group of what will soon become friends. I had a total blast!!
Alan Sund traveled to Japan with Art Wolfe in February. Here are his thoughts on the experience as well as a few photos.
A wonderful experience! I’ve been a fan of Travels to the Edge for years – and this was great to finally go along with Art to see where and how so many wonderful images were taken, to experience it on a truly personal basis, to learn from the absolute best about how to improve my own wildlife, cultural, and landscape photography, and to practice each day from before dawn until after dusk. And add on top of that, each evening, Art’s excellent lectures and feedback on participants’ images. BTW… the behind the scenes planning was flawless (Art has a great crew). Best part of the trip??? I got to wear Art’s famous wool cap!!! The only way to top this would be to go on multiple tours with Art and Gavriel. Thanks guys!
Yoga International’s* Spring 2011 issue has a wonderful personal account by Pandit Rajmani Tigunait on the Kumbha Mela. They have selected Art Wolfe’s images to accompany the story. Pick this up at the newstand now, or CLICK HERE for a PDF of the article.
If you care to see more of Art’s images of this remarkable human event, have a look at the slide show below.
*Yoga International is an award-winning, independent magazine that contemplates the deeper dimensions of spiritual life—exploring the power of yoga practice and philosophy to not only transform our bodies and minds, but inspire meaningful engagement in our society, environment, and the global community.
India’s diversity surprises you with great images. We found women beautifully dressed in bright colors, yet carrying dung on their heads for cooking and heating their homes. Ancient erotic art adorns temples. How interesting from a culture that doesn’t allow on-screen kissing in their very large and popular movie industry. Ceremonies along the Ganges, celebrate light and life with the poorest of the poor. City life and country life are expressive via the lives of the people and animals. Even a savvy street dog is found suckling from a sacred cow.
Damoiselle cranes could easily fit into the pages of my book titled Migrations. It is a never ending theme of fascination, beauty and the power of nature that arroused me once again. These beautiful graceful creatures in large numbers are an experience that I love to revisit and watch those that are witnessing this phenomenon for the first time.
After a day of seriously photographing local color, which is hugely significant in Varanasi and India as a whole, we attended an aarti ceremony during which light is offered to deities.
We have filled all but 2 seats on the upcoming Photo Tour to China. Sign up now to secure your place for an unforgettable trip.
View this video for a preview of what to expect.
