With my time in the USA fast approaching its end, I have been spending my days studying books related to travel. I am finishing up The Razor's Edge by Maughm, reading a few books by Hermann Hesse and Knut Hamsun, and perusing maps and guide books.
I sometimes find myself attempting to clarify my vision of travel, and how I should spend my time while on the road. The few short trips I have taken (New York City, Montreal, Paris) revolved around wandering the streets with camera and notebook in hand. Even though I no longer consider photography my calling, I have decided that making pictures of the passing moments and writing about things would impart a pleasant meaning to my new way of life. I have decided that I will bring a small digital camera and laptop computer with me, with plans of wandering by day, and writing and editing pictures by night, with this blog serving as the place to deposit the daily words and pictures.
However hard I try to leave my past life of photography behind, it at times returns and reminds me that it shaped who I am and how I see the world. A few days ago I had a request from a person who owns a few of my photographs. He recently returned from a many years stay in Japan, and he asked if I would print some old b/w negatives that he picked up while there. It will be a big project (40 negatives), with a set of straight b/w prints, and a 2nd set printed in my own style (toned and ethereal). I doubt I can finish the project in time before leaving at the end of January, and I let him know it won't be cheap. If he agrees to my price, the magic of printing will pay for my plane ticket to Thailand.
