I´m David DuChemin, Ask me anything

[david10 (David duChemin)]

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Hi I’m David DuChemin. Based on Vancouver Island, when I’m home, I’ve been behind the camera in one way or another for almost 40 years. Formerly specializing in humanitarian photography, I now find the magic in wilder subjects: apex predators and larger beasties. Given a choice I’d rather spend my time with bears, wolves, lions, or sharks than most people, in part because they’re to be found in wilder places surrounded by solitude and wonder.

When I don’t have my camera in my hands I’m thinking about photographs and the creative challenge of making images that are not only sharp and well-exposed but that move the human heart and imagination. Those thoughts end up in my blog, and eventually into my books. In October my 16th book will be available (to the eternal surprise of anyone who ever taught me English in school). Light, Space & Time will follow titles like The Heart of the Photograph, The Soul of the Camera, and Within The Frame, all of them some version of the same desperate hope that if we can transcend the technical demands of this craft we can touch on something deeper, and more enduring.

Years ago I accidentally wrote the words, “Gear is Good, Vision is Better.” It resonated with me, so I went with it as a mantra, and while I’m thrilled to talk gear in as much as it presents us with creative possibilities, I’m much more interested and concerned about how we think and feel our way through this craft. So nothing is off the table in terms of possible discussion, but so as to avoid the obvious ones: I shoot Sony now, but I’ve shot every major system. My favourite lens is my 16-35.2.8 and I’d shoot all day long with it if the critters would let me. I just love the point of view and the way it draws me into the photograph when used nice and close.

My desert island album is Paul Simon’s Graceland, but if I could have two I’d also bring Dire Straits Brothers in Arms. The best book I read last year was Ed Yong’s An Immense World. The best photography book I got last year is Vincent Munier’s latest astonishing offering called MUNIER. And my cocktail of choice is an Old Fashioned (make it a double). If I could only photograph in one place for the rest of my life I’d happily choose Kenya with no regrets, though oddly, if I could only photograph one animal it would be bears. And, because I know no one is going to ask, my favourite poem is Mary Oliver’s Instructions for Life, which goes thusly:

Pay Attention

Be Astonished

Tell About It.

Wise words for anyone who hopes to live the photographic life.

I’m very much looking forward to our virtual time together. If you want to see more of my work, you can find both words and photographs at davidduchemin.com

Website: http://davidduchemin.com

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[Igor_Doncov]

Hello David

I was wondering if you could give me your assessment of Minor White’s work. What are his strengths and weaknesses? Which current photographer is most like Minor White?

[Tom_Nevesely]

Hi David, you probably wouldn’t remember but we met briefly a while ago when you did a talk in Bragg Creek, Alberta. I don’t really have a question but I wanted to tell you that you’ve been an inspiration to me and I appreciate your approach to photography!

[Kerry_Gordon]

Hi David. I’m totally delighted that you and David Kingham were finally able to get it together to make this happen. It kind of brings both my worlds together under one roof.

I had a question I wanted to ask but you seem to have answered it in your opening statement but that being said, maybe I’ll go ahead and ask it anyway. I believe your book of photographs, “Pilgrims and Nomads” is one of the truly great works of contemporary photography. I admit that I’m biased towards what you have called “humanitarian photography” precisely because it focuses so intensely on the human condition. I know it is strange to say it here on what is a nature photography site, but landscape and wildlife photography has never moved me in the way that the photography of Salgado, Carter, Frank, Bischof, or Abbas ever has. And so, despite your opening statement, I would be interested to hear a bit more about the very dramatic shift you made from images of people and place to wildlife. Is there a part of you that misses the unique intimacy of human connection and the photographic tradition that it represents? Take care, my friend, I hope to speak with you soon.

[david10 (David duChemin)]

Wow, Igor, way to ease into this with something light and fluffy! LOL. Let me do my best with this one. First, I think Minor White’s impact is immeasurable though for me it’s not in his images but in his words. Minor White’s teaching was among the first to argue (very elegantly, I think) that photography can be so much more than craft. That it can be art. His focus on self expression and on photography as a discipline that is concerned with being present and aware in an sense that is often more spiritual than anything, elevated this craft beyond the technical (though not denigrating the technical). As for which photographer is most like Minor White, I don’t mean to dodge the question, but I don’t think in these terms. No one wants to be compared to others but to be most like themselves. That’s the challenge. Minor White would probably argue from a similar point of view. Fortunately for us the impact of Minor White has created the ripples that push many of, in our own ways, in directions all our own.

[david10 (David duChemin)]

Hi Tom! Thanks so much for that. What an honour.

[david10 (David duChemin)]

Hi Kerry! Wow. Thank you for that. So, I think there are a couple ways to reply to this. The first is that humanitarian photography kind of requires an affinity for humans and right now I’m a little without hope for the species. The second is that Covid changed the world and made me more reluctant to spend time in crowds and in the gritty remote places i most enjoy, and I’ve yet to recover from it. The third is more positive: the biggest humanitarian crisis today (of which there are many, inc. Gaza, the Ukraine…) is climate change. It’s our relationship to the planet and other animals with which we share it. So humanitarianism and conservation / environmentalism are not, to my mind, dramatically different. And finally, it’s about what I enjoy. I find myself taking solace more in the presence of bears and wolves, whales and sharks, and in the places in which they’re found. I guess there’s more joy there for me right now. More peace. Did I run out of things to say about humanity? Probably not, but I need a break. Thanks for the very thoughful question. (Geez, I thought this AMA was going to be about preferred apertures and stuff! LOL)

[Stan_Rose]

No apertures here, David, we shoot straight for the jugular
Since you clearly have turned your camera on a number of disparate subjects, am wondering if you feel you have one single overriding goal with your photography, or if it is a number of intertwined goals that all revolve around one process? How would you describe it?

[Max_Waugh]

Hi David. I think many of us in the wildlife photo community find ourselves gravitating toward the big furry stuff, tooth and claw. It took me a little while to develop more enthusiasm for smaller critters, birds, and macro subjects.

Outside of your “big targets,” are there smaller or non-mammal subjects that particularly intrigue or excite you these days?

[david10 (David duChemin)]

Great questions, Stan. I think my camera has always been a ticket to adventure for me. It pulls me out of myself and gets me into encounters - with cultures or places or species - I might never have encountered. It’s a tool as much for exploration as it is for expression. I want to feel more alive, experience life more broadly and more deeply. The camera helps me pay more attention to the moments, to the light, to my thoughts and feelings. I love the resulting photographs, but it’s the creative act of engaging light, space and time that really does it for me.

[david10 (David duChemin)]

Nope. LOL. I am most drawn to animals with which I can have what feels like an encounter. Something that looks back at me, interacts in some way with me. I’m vastly more interested in mammals and than birds, or fish. As an underwater photographer I’ve had my share of nudibranchs and smaller subjects but I just wasn’t as interested, photographically. Having said that, I can look at the work of others who find their wonder in those smaller subjects and feel the same wonder. I just don’t feel the same desire to photograph it. It lacks the element of encounter that I’m after. For now. That can always change.

[Marylynne_Diggs]

Hi David,
Like @Kerry_Gordon, your presence here is bringing my Vision Driven and NPN worlds together. I’m in your Shoot What It Feels Like course right now.

My question is about sustaining motivation. I am an English professor, so making a living isn’t a relevant factor for me.

How do you maintain your motivation, especially during life setbacks with personal health, life events. I know you’ve had them—I mean, your foot for one!

Could you share, oh, let’s say 3-5 strategies for jumpstarting motivation and the creative drive?

Glad to see you here,
ML

[Cody_Schultz]

As I begin more seriously navigating my path forward - both as artist and individual - I cannot help but ponder what the future holds, for those who choose* the creative life. We, of course, will continue to contemplate the role of artificial intelligence and how our art making practices may change; and I am certain we will continue to challenge our perceptions of art and what that word means. What makes all this the more challenging, is the speed at which everything changes. It seems like just yesterday, artificial intelligence was but a blip in our consciousness, something in science fiction but not yet in reality; yet, here we are, facing the very real consequences of it all. Though I don’t wish for the focus here to be on AI, I use it as a contemporary example of these “sudden” changes.

Right now, I am most curious where you believe the state of the creative industry is headed. In particular, how do you envision the next five years of photography, if we can even think that far ahead?

I ask this not necessarily from a business standpoint, but from a view on creativity as a whole, especially as our attention spans shorten and future generations become more dependent on technology, both in and out of the classroom environment.

*A rather strong word, given many of us had no actual choice in the matter; rather, this is the only life we know.

[david10 (David duChemin)]

Hi Marylynne! I’m so pleased to hear you’re in the course. I hope it’s serving you well!

So you want to talk motivation while I’m sick with a flu and lying on a couch with no motivation, huh? LOL. As requested, here are 3-5 strategies to jump-start your creative drive:

1. First and foremost: give yourself a challenge. Something you can sink your teeth into. You can’t have flow without challenge and too many of us are making boring pictures because…we’re bored. In a rut. Challenge gets us out. A new project, or body of work, perhaps? Something that makes us nervous? A little more than you think you can comfortably chew? It’s the comfort that kills us creatively.

2. Learn something new. This too is a challenge. Learn a new technique and then play with it. Learn more about colour and then find ways to apply what you’ve learned in Lightrooom with the HSL tools. Learn something new about B&W conversions! Composition! Focus stacking or something more technical. New ideas lead to new creative possibilities and it all comes from learning.

3. Some will be surprised to hear me say this but learn a new piece of gear. Get a new toy. Something that’s fun. Macro lens? Extension tubes? Tilt /Shift? Lensbaby? Strobes? Wide angle lens when you’re most comfortable with longer lenses and vice versa.

4. Find your joy and do it your way. What would be fun for you? Do you need to get out of familiar environs and go to a National Park that’s a couple provinces or states away? Road trip! Maybe you’ve got someone you like working with - go do a trip together and collaborate on a project. The key here is fun.

5. Do a workshop or tour with someone you’ve always wanted to meet or learn from, in a place you’ve always wanted to go. Or, hell, do it in a place you’ve never heard of.

All of these share something: new experiences. They challenge us. They nudge us from the familiarity of comfort zones. But then again, so does taking a break. Sometimes putting the camera down and picking up a pen to write or a paint brush or a guitar are what we need. I hope this helps!

[david10 (David duChemin)]

Hey Cody,

Wow. A lot to consider here. Can I be honest? I just don’t worry about it. AI is (don’t get me wrong) very worrisome in many ways, all of them much bigger than our photography. But personally, I don’t see it affecting what I do personally or why I do it. Film photographers and those who use alternate processes like cyanotypes and tin types will continue to labour away at what they love. Cinematographers and song-writers too. And illustrators, for sure. They’ll just keep at it. And yes, making a living might require some significant shifts, but we all know this has NEVER been easy.

Digital didn’t kill film. AI won’t kill digital. It’ll introduce new challenges. Some of them significant. But the reason I go and sit in front of bears is not to make something AI can’t make, but to make something I have never made. To have an experience I’ve never had. To get away from the pinging of the cell phone. To chase and find wonder.

AI might introduce new challenges and new opportunities. It might also introduce new hungers. As people get used to the lack of emotional or spiritual depth in AI-generated “art” I think they’ll hunger for the real thing. Perhaps it will push us all to be more vulnerable, more willing to dig deeper into ourselves and past the low hanging fruit. Maybe it will push us to do better, to be more human, and more honest.

What AI will not do is quench our creativity. We’ll be pushed to explore it in new ways, but it won’t be quenched. It’s too much a part of us. And maybe for some that creativity will be in how we use AI itself.

I’m as much a technophobe as the next luddite but I don’t want to be among those who are running around proclaiming the death of this or that because it just never happens that way. I don’t love what I know about AI (and I work for Apple part-time, so I do know more than the average bear) but I know you and I won’t stop it. Hell, even the engineers don’t completely understand it. So for now I choose to keep doing what I’m doing, and keeping my ear to the ground as things develop. I don’t worry about the next 5 years. I just pay attention to my next project, my next expedition. I chase the wonder while i can.

I don’t know if I’ve remotely answered your question, but I suspect in this case the questions are more important than individual answers. Keep asking them.

[Cody_Schultz]

Thank you for your insights here, David – they are greatly appreciated, and this was beautifully answered.

[Bill_Reichhardt]

Hi David. I recently read an article about nature journaling. Any thoughts about how this practice might help focus us for nature photography and storytelling? Thanks. Bill

[david25 (David N Schmitt)]

I have followed and admired your work for a long time, for me many of your images are on another level, in the way they pull me in, making me feel like I am right there. For example, the two backlight bear images you include in your introduction do this for me. I am especially intrigued by the second bear image.

While they make me feel like I am there I also know that is not exactly what I would see with my eyes. When I say this I am thinking mostly of how you have successfully used the blown out highlights to make the images even more powerful.

For someone that is interested in learning how to incorporate over exposed highlights in their images - can you speak about your process, how you think about and create images like this? Thanks in advance David.

[KennyThatcher]

David! Thank you for doing this. I was introduced to your work in early 2020 when I bumped into your Beautiful Anarchy podcast. I listened to every episode, and I’ve even gone back to listen to some episodes again from time to time when I’ve needed a little kick to get out the door.

So, thank you for making that series! It was accessible and fun to listen to (and still is) for this photography newb. Any chance you’ve thought about starting a new podcast, or reviving B.A? If you have, I’m sorry if I’ve missed it because I tend to stay pretty disconnected a lot of the time. Cheers!

[david10 (David duChemin)]

Hi Bill, having not read the article myself and not wanting to presume to know what nature journalling is, let me say this: our photographs are a result of the way we think and feel, the way we perceive the world around us. They’re a result of patience and awareness and curiosity and a whole set of soft skills that result (or don’t) from a rich inner life. I have journalled in our form or another since I was 15 years old. I find any discipline that gets me focused and silences some of the chatter, or makes me more intentional about my approach to things is worthwhile, even essential. Some will use meditation. Some, like me prefer time spent reading natural history books that stir the wonder and make me more aware of the patterns and behaviours in the animal kingdom. And some will journal. What is important is that we do what works for us to have more interesting perceptions about the world in which we photograph.