The Art of the Photowalk
byGrab your camera, tell people where you’re going, and ask them to join you. That’s pretty much the concept behind a photowalk. Over the last few years I’ve met up with some incredible photographers (professional and amateur) who carry anything from $5,000+ cameras/lenses to Polaroids, pocket cameras, and camera phones. If you enjoy taking photos it’s well worth it to be on the lookout for photowalks in Vancouver.
John Biehler on Flickr
Photowalks usually start out at a specific location and the group will then wander around a loose course to take photos until they arrive at their destination or loop back to the starting point.
John Biehler, PhotoCamp organizer and veteran photowalker who recently participated in the Worldwide Photowalk event in Vancouver says there’s much more to it than taking photos. “I like photowalks because it gives photoraphers a chance to experiment, share their gear and techniques as well as meet new people.”
Some photowalks may only be with your and your friends, while others can gather a large crowd of people, walking around and taking photos of whatever they come across. “The best part though is seeing the end results afterward,” Biehler told me. “Twenty people shooting the same alley always results in a huge variety of awesome pics.”
Left: JeremyLim.ca Middle: Phillip Jeffrey Right: John Biehler
As there is no central location to find out about a photowalk in town just yet, your best bet it to be on the lookout on Twitter and Facebook. Flickr is also a great resource as there are already several established photowalking groups for the Vancouver area, such as Vandigicam.
John Biehler, along with Scott Prince, is also proposing a PhotoCamp walk at BarCamp coming up in October.
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Your post is reminding me that it has been far too long since I’ve gone on a photo walk, and even longer since I’ve organized one. 🙂
My first photowalk was with Vandigicam (the portrait throwdown!) and it was organized by Rachael. It also where I first met you, Miss604. I’ve met some of my closest friends on these walks and have learned so much. Like you say, Rebecca, there are now a plethora of Vancouver-based Flickr groups that host them, along with with at least one associated with meetup.com.
For anyone interested in street or documentary photography, the Vancouver Streetside group on Flickr is now doing walk somewhat regularly. I post announcements there and via Twitter (@waxypoetic). Feel free to come along. I believe we’re going to the PNE this friday…
http://www.flickr.com/groups/vancouverstreetphotography/
[…] my spin on the condensed photowalk. Miss 604 (local hero / blogger extraordinaire) had a nice post (click here) about photowalks recently, so it seemed like a good idea to do one on my own. Five minutes though […]
Rebecca, I don’t think I’ve ever seen you on a photowalk! Will you be joining us on our next shindig?
[…] by John Biehler and Scott Prince’s talk at BarCamp on Saturday, we decided to join them for a photowalk yesterday afternoon at the Lions Gate Bridge. I was the only one there without an SLR and my lens […]