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From Away
By Jim Graham
Jim joined one of the first Focus on Nature workshops 2008. Following is his story.
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My Thoughts on Workshops:
I've been a professional photographer since I was 16. And for the last 34 years it seems as though I've always had a camera in my hand. Photography had been my hobby. A way for me to recreate. And even though I was selling my photographs to the local newspaper I didn't think that I would make photography more than a hobby. It wasn't until I went to my first workshop that I knew that I wanted to pursue a career in photography. Today I've been fortunate enough to do just that. I have continued to return to different workshops to learn, to grow within my craft, to spend time with friends that I've met over the years and to see the world in a different light.
I came to Iceland for all of those reasons and for the unique opportunity that the Icelandic landscape offered. I wasn't disappointed. Einar and the Focus on Nature workshops gave my fellow classmates and me a chance to see Iceland in a unique way and offered our instructor, John Paul Caponigro wonderful opportunities to present his class in a vibrant way.
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My Artist's statement for the "From Away" Exhibit.
Eight years ago I began a journey. An adventure and an education where I physically and metaphorically left the comfort of my world here on the Delaware – Pennsylvania border,
To find what would become my shows. Each of these exhibitions has been about a trip, a pilgrimage, a journey, even an adventure.
“From Away” began on the ferry to Vinalhaven, Maine and continued a few weeks later in Iceland. Maine has always been a special place for me. It is where I truly began my career as a photographer. It’s a place that I have continued to return to and attempt to polish my craft, to grow as an artist.
Traveling to Iceland was an opportunity to see a unique landscape. A mythic place settled by the Vikings in the 9th century. The word “Viking” is derived from the Old Norse “vikja” and likely meant, “One who goes away.”
Each of these images has their own story. I may not have known what that story was when I released the shutter. But, during the journey home and by taking some time to suss out the work, those stories do unfold. They are perhaps a glimpse into what was, an attempt to make sense of a fleeting moment or a memory emboldened in my mind.
By naming my images I try to give meaning to that moment. That name may have meaning only to me. Or, it may have a special meaning to its viewer. This way I finish the image making it a final piece and binding it to the group as a whole.
This collection of images has come home, from away. Each has its place and its own narrative. While I have my own story for each, I hope you’ll find your own stories within them.
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