Nicholas Sumner is a photographer whose work has been
published in twenty nine travel guide books. This, his
first travel narrative, recounts the story of a
seven-year journey across Asia in pursuit of beautiful
pictures. ''Before I left home, I thought that I knew
something about photography, but I found that what
knowledge I had was more hindrance than help and I had
to admit, that really, I didn't know anything at all.
This was humbling, and a little frightening, but it was
also the beginning of a process of discovery in which my
expectations as a photographer and as a traveller were
constantly challenged, reassessed and revised. ''I
experienced moments that were terrifying and sublime,
hilarious and tragic. I was mugged, threatened with guns
and arrested; I journeyed among mountains, through
jungles and cities, I encountered deserts both spiritual
and physical, saw things so beautiful that they moved me
to tears and received kindness so absolute that I can
never repay it. I knew both joy and despair, I ate
kangaroo pie, discovered the exact monetary value of my
eyebrows and I fell in love. Twice.'' His journey became
much more than a quest for great images.Travelling and
photography are pursuits of the curious, they complement
and sometimes conflict with one another but both are
driven by a desire to observe and a hunger for insight.
Both can touch the spirit, move the heart, and both can
reveal truth. |
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