Quest of a wandering soul
PHOTOGRAPHER RUSS TAYLOR SHARES HOW HIS TRAVELS ACROSS THE WORLD FRAMED HIS PHOTOGRAPHIC JOURNEY, HIS OUTLOOK TOWARDS FRAMING PICTURES AND HIS RECENT VISIT TO SIBERIA
Iam a cultural documentary photographer, a park ranger, and a wilderness guide. My background includes work in intercultural studies and theology. I have travelled widely as a US Peace Corps Volunteer in Papua New Guinea. I previously lived in the Himalayan region of India and spent many days with the nomads of L a d a k h ’ s Changtang Plateau and my most recent adventure was to visit the Nenets Reindeer Herders of Siberia. My photographic journey started soon after I began travelling internationally. I had long been interested in photography, and I travelled into Tibet about 20 years ago with two really old cameras, one with a faulty light meter, and came back with very few images. One of the guys travelling with me
said, “It’s better to have one camera that works than two that don’t.” I decided right then I’d invest in be able some proper equipment so that I’d le to share future journeys and properly document what I was seeing. While I still spend money on flights and travel before investing in new equipment, I do make sure that the gear I travel with works well.
What do I look for in a frame these days? I look for what I can subtract from the frame. I prefer images that are clean, with little distraction. It follows a philosophy of “less is more.” I tend towards being a minimalist. I’m careful to look at the edges of the frame and make sure to subtract anything that could form a distraction.
Good photography to me is photography that invokes emotion in the viewer. We’ve all seen images that we remember, that we return to time and again. I hope I’ve made one or two such images along the way.
My photography is first, for me. I photograph to engage with the culture, people, or the land I’m photographing. I photograph what I find of interest. Then I photograph to share with others. By photographing for myself, I don’t have to concern myself with how many “likes” a photograph receives on Instagram. I don’t allow its value to be found there.
I would like to see my work in a major gallery one day. Thanks for letting me share them with you today.