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vernix | all galleries >> Galleries >> Photo-a-day PAD Gallery > 2/14/05 A walk with Gordon Wiltsie.
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14-FEB-2005

2/14/05 A walk with Gordon Wiltsie.

I had a photographic epiphany this week.

I was at a meeting this week(medical) and an extracurricular two day photo seminar caught my eye. The instructor's name was unknown to me...Gordon Wiltsie. I passed initially, for the course would have cut into my ski time until I googled his name and it showed a thousand hits. He's a major National Geographic photographer. Maybe THE major.



With all the advances in camera technology, particularly lately, making many of us feel that the equipment is the goal. We often loose sight of the goal, which is imaging our world.

Gordon Wiltsie travels the globe, crosses both poles, scales 5100 foot cliffs, treks Nepal and accomplished feats most of us can scarcely imagine. He does it all with a couple of old bodies that might bring $100 on Ebay. He does it with a couple of primes and a couple of little zooms.

Hmmmmm......something I should learn, I thought.

This humble man walked about a dozen of us down a path talking not about himself, but rather, telling us about how to shoot photos. A couple of total novices had shutter speed and exposure explained by one of the world's greats.

If anyone wishes to see a bit of his work, check out the National Geographic special edition now on newsstands. Gordon did not tell us about it. I about fell over back-wards at the Utah airport...he has the cover and seven inside shots...the book...."National Geographic 77 greatest adventure photos". No other photographer has half as many shots.

His lesson, to me, was profound. I'll carry it for life.

Nikon D2h
1/500s f/6.0 at 13.0mm iso400 full exif

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