“And you may find yourself in another part of the world… And you may ask yourself, ‘Well, how did I get here?’” - Once In A Lifetime, Talking Heads (1980)
Sitting in my Moroccan Airbnb, with a camera full of photos, and no fixed abode, I’ve been asking myself the same thing. In recent years, I’ve been vagabonding and working on personal projects. But was it the photography that made me want to travel? Or was it the travel that made me want to photograph? And why do I not feel the same inspiration at home?
A Brief History of Mine
Born and bred in Brighton, England, I was a boy about town until the Smithers-Jones lifestyle sucked me in and turned me into someone I did not want to be. So, after five years of looking out of the same Canary Wharf window, me and the missus made a mid-life migration to Melbourne via southeast Asia and India. It was on that trip in 2013 that I found photography.
The lucky country and its most liveable city lived up to their reputations. But old habits die hard, and before I knew it, I was back in the office, staring out a different window. Philosophy and yoga classes recalibrated me. But the penny only really dropped when I lost my twin at 41. Our time here is brief. And unused creativity is bad for your health. So, in late 2019, we swapped our first-world predictability for a life on the road.
When the pandemic hit, I was in Madrid learning about Documentary Photography & Reportage and getting ready for whatever opportunities might follow. Lockdowns and travel restrictions were not in the plan. But the stoics tell me that the obstacle is the way. So, we bided our time and continued our nomadic existence in countries that shared our love of freedom.
But those are just the push factors. What pulled me to a life of photography and travel can be boiled down to two things.
#1 Newness
Travel, for me, is a liberating experience where I can break free from the constraints and conventional thinking of home. Strange surroundings and uncertainty stimulate my senses, and everything seems photographable. In India, people swim in the sea in their jeans, and cows chill out at bus stops. The markets of Oaxaca, Mexico, sell cheese that looks like cocaine. While in San Salvador, every shop and restaurant is under armed guard.
With a camera in my hand, my curiosity levels go up, and I see things I would not otherwise notice. Immersed in a new environment and culture, I feel bold, alive, and inspired to create. There is risk and reward. I learn about myself and where my boundaries are. Should I take the shot or ask permission? Back in my comfort zone, where people know me as something else, inhibitions hold me back.
#2 Nowness
At home, complacency reigns. Distractions and other priorities creep in, and photography can get put off until another day. We can miss opportunities, and our motivation levels drop. When I travel, this doesn’t happen. The time limitation focuses my mind and encourages me to explore and photograph more often.
If you’ve ever meditated or are a fan of the band Oasis, you probably know the phrase “Be Here Now”. It refers to the only thing that really exists – the present moment. And our awareness of it. All photographs start as experiences and pass through us onto the sensor or film. So having the presence of mind to notice a worthwhile image might be the most important thing in photography.
The world is a stage. If we pay enough attention and are alert to the unexpected, we can see things before they happen and be in the right place to capture them. Recently in Marrakech, I noticed a tired horse at the end of a long day. As I watched it park the carriage it was pulling, his leg got tangled in the chains, and he fell to the ground. Seconds later, he was back on his feet. But had I not been awake, I would have missed the moment.
On that note, I will leave you with some words from one of my inspirations.
“I think most of us go through our lives partially asleep. Even though our eyes are open and we’re out in the world, we’re daydreaming, or we’re distracted in some way. But when I make a photograph of something, at that moment I feel in a very precise, conscious, alert, awakened state, even if it’s only for a split second. And for me that’s the joy of photography: to be connected to things in the world that are suddenly of conscious value.” – Joel Meyerowitz
Very inspiring edition. I just discovered your newsletter and your work is truly remarkable...
Very interesting and honest reading. Thank you Ben!