When I was about eight years old, my mother put an old Pentax K1000 fully manual camera in my hand. We were on a trip to New York City for a opening of her artwork at a gallery there, and to this day the thing I remember the most about the trip was taking those first photos out the back window of a speeding cab. I remember how that simple act of encouragement changed my life. I realized that there is something new and interesting to see everywhere.
As I grew up, I found that my other passion is being on the river. Ever since I was a teenager, if I’m not running a river in my kayak or on a raft, I’m thinking, planning and dreaming of how to end up on the water soon. What I love about river running is the amazing places that the river takes you. I’ve been down in gorges, cracks in the earth, and various water-filled holes that one could never get to without a river craft.
Thanks to the culture and people of the Arkansas River Valley, I feel fortunate enough to have found a way to combine two passions in my life: those of river running and photography. Paid or otherwise, I feel as though I am missing an integral part of myself if ever I am on the river without a camera.
It is that passion for being in the places that only a river craft can take you that re-inspired me to pick up a camera in earnest, but I also find myself exploring around all sorts of back roads and taking frequent random stops along the way. Remember – not all who wander are lost! – Alan Cammack. www.rivervibe.blogspot.com
