Every photographer has different reasons as to why s/he became interested in the field of photography and why s/he actually chose to pursue that interest and become a photographer. One's reasons behind becoming a photographer might be related to the subject matter, the process of taking and editing photos and/or the experience one feels while being out in the world looking for the perfect photograph.
When someone asks you, "why do you want to be a photographer", your response might be long-winded or it could be hard to explain. The answers to this question are bound to change over time. Allow me to introduce you to a young photographer who is currently trying to become a professional nature photographer and one who has an excellent answer to this question of "why": Patrick Semales. Pictured below in a self-portrait resembling a contemporary Christopher McCandless, Semales' reasoning behind why he wants to become a photographer is more than likely understood by those who... have a similar desire.
When someone asks you, "why do you want to be a photographer", your response might be long-winded or it could be hard to explain. The answers to this question are bound to change over time. Allow me to introduce you to a young photographer who is currently trying to become a professional nature photographer and one who has an excellent answer to this question of "why": Patrick Semales. Pictured below in a self-portrait resembling a contemporary Christopher McCandless, Semales' reasoning behind why he wants to become a photographer is more than likely understood by those who... have a similar desire.
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| Semales, Patrick, Untitled, 2012. |
Semales is currently caught in a situation that many of us have experienced before - or - are currently in: working a job we don't particularly care for, saving money for camera equipment, photography classes or to fund a future photo project. As you continue to read this blog post, ask yourself: what is my source of inspiration or "end goal"?
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| Semales, Patrick, Untitled, 2012. |
Semales has a clear "end goal" for his upcoming project. Semales has recently departed from Austin, Texas to travel north to shoot the wilderness of Canada; fingers crossed that he comes across the Northern Lights! Given that his home town is Great Falls, Virginia, Semales will be in the Virginia area through the New Year. After which, he'll be setting out alone to cover over 10,000 miles of road. Semales believes that by taking this trip, he'll be able to better connect with his subject, the natural world.
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| Semales, Patrick, Untitled, 2012. |
Long road trips and time spent alone are not new experiences for Semales. He has gone on these trips before although he claims that in the past, his photography didn't "have a purpose". Semales feels as though he was simply... "clicking" photographs. Speaking about these past road trips, he states that, "All of that alone time with a camera was enough to figure out that's exactly what I have to do to remind me that I have lived and that I will live again. Soon, it will start again. I will leave and I will go to beautiful places and I will photograph the entire experience". Check out the video below to hear more about Semales' upcoming trip:
Semales' upcoming adventure has already gained national press from My Ford magazine - as he will drive his 2007 Ford Focus throughout the trip. Like any good photographer, Semales has an Instagram account with 3k followers: @foxclearing. He plans to share photographs from his journey via his Instagram account, an outlet that Semales claims gave him a sense of community during his past trips.
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| Semales, Patrick, Untitled, 2012. |
As a self-taught photographer, Semales likes to show that he was actually in these locations he photographs. In many of his frames, Semales enters the photograph although he rarely shows his face. In my opinion, this is due to his timid nature, which he discusses within the Fox Clearing movie trailer.
Eventually, this movie trailer will turn into a full length documentary, which is being produced by Karmakaze Productions; directed by Seth Blaustein. In order to fund the documentary, Semales and his crew have put together a "Kickstarter" Campaign. Check out what Blaustein has to say about his upcoming documentary about Semales and how they plan to fund their project:
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| Semales, Patrick, Untitled, 2012. |
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| Semales, Patrick, Untitled, 2012. |
Eventually, this movie trailer will turn into a full length documentary, which is being produced by Karmakaze Productions; directed by Seth Blaustein. In order to fund the documentary, Semales and his crew have put together a "Kickstarter" Campaign. Check out what Blaustein has to say about his upcoming documentary about Semales and how they plan to fund their project:
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01. Semales, Patrick. FOX CLEARING PHOTOGRAPHY. N.p., n.d. Web. 23 Dec. 2013.
02. Semales, Patrick, and Seth Blaustein. "Fox Clearing - An Adventure Documentary Film." Kickstarter. N.p., n.d. Web. 23 Dec. 2013.
03. Blaustein, Seth. "Karmakaze Productions." Karmakaze Productions CenterMusic + Videocenter Comments. N.p., n.d. Web. 23 Dec. 2013.
04. Blaustein, Seth. Seth Blaustein Director. N.p., n.d. Web. 23 Dec. 2013.
05. Russell, Julie. "Life on the Road." My Ford Owner Magazine. N.p., n.d. Web. 23 Dec. 2013.
06. Semales, Patrick. Instagram. N.p., n.d. Web. 23 Dec. 2013.