There is a river in northern Michigan with some of the best backpacking the state has to offer. If you’re an avid backpacker from the Midwest you probably know the river I speak of. The first time I ventured to hike along the banks of the river I was on a mission for the “shot”. An epic photo of the horseshoe bend in the river; which also happens to be one the first images you see on google maps for this location. At the time over 3 years ago, the prospect of getting a beautiful sunset or sunrise to nail the “shot” was very exciting. I pre-visualized the amazing light I would get over the top of the cookie-cutter composition, leading to a feeling of accomplishment. What ended up transpiring all those years ago was not remotely close to what I envisioned.
On a warm June afternoon, I headed out into the forest that hugs the river for the very first time to capture the “shot”. After a day's hike, I found the spot. The light was harsh, I was tired, I was hungry, and to my surprise, the scene wasn’t doing it for me. I wasn’t excited by what I saw. I took a few snapshots and was on my way to find myself a place to camp for the night. I spent the rest of the night and the remainder of the trip disappointed. I found it very difficult to find any other compositions that fit the criteria for the “shot”. So I was heading home without the photos I was hoping to capture. My first impression of this beautiful, yet challenging place to photograph was I probably wasn’t going to return. The river simply didn’t offer the photographic opportunities I was looking for.
Fast forward to the present day, I have since returned to backpack this river 7 more times. Every time I ventured back to the river I became more and more familiar with the landscape and slowly I felt a connection to the river develop. I no longer saw it as a place to take “the shot”, but as a place to nourish me. The river has provided me with something far more valuable than some pretty pictures. It has given me a place to escape to and provide the conditions for me to experience stillness. A state of being I have rarely been able to produce outside of a night spent in the backcountry.
My photographic approach has drastically changed over the many return trips I have made to the river. I now let my curiosity and my connection to the river landscape influence the photos I capture. I’m no longer chasing the “shot”, instead I’m taking the photos that capture the feeling the river provides me. This has allowed me to produce a small gallery of photos I’m quite proud of. These photos were taken over the last 2 years on multiple backpacking trips to the river. These photos have become very important to me; as they are visual renditions of my moments of stillness in Michigan's backcountry.
Moving forward, my approach to releasing images will be similar to this gallery release. I have been inspired to pursue this approach by a few of my favorite photographers Eric Bennet, David Thompson, and Ron Coscorrosa. Whenever I see a new gallery from any of these photographers I feel like a kid on Christmas morning. In my eyes, this is the best way to view photographs.
About a month ago I spent over a week in the Smoky mountains hiking and photographing. I plan to release a gallery of images from that trip shortly. Until then, enjoy this small collection of new and old photos from The River.
