Walks with Cameras…

Thank you for visiting my creative space.

Ever since I processed my first roll of film and printed my first images in the darkroom back in 1996, I have been hooked on this art.

Since then: hundreds of miles walked across dozens of cities and national parks on 3 continents. Hundreds of rolls of film. Some ruined. Some glorious.

I’m not sure why I’m doing this, especially in this way, using old film cameras in this digital age. I just know that I need to.

Film is fragile. You are never guaranteed anything, just as in life. When you shoot film, you have to think. Make choices that the digital cameras make for you. Maybe that’s what I love. That the artist is me not a microchip.

My mission is to walk across the most culturally relevant and ecologically important landscapes and bring those moments that catch my eye to an audience that is interested in seeing what I see.

Maybe it’s the romance of it, or the challenge, but these mini-projects give me tremendous satisfaction. They are not about being the best photographer out there. They are about me finding a story in each destination that helps me connect them all together in a thread.

I’ve been given the luxury of being able to travel the world and instead of taking selfies, I’m taking hundreds of miles of steps to bring you everything you see here.

Sometimes I will process my film at night in my backyard and put on an outdoor movie to help pass the time.

Walking for hundreds of miles with a camera teaches you…

…about who you are.

Dreaming big is one thing. Finishing a big dream is another. The first walk that I completed in Los Angeles was insane in itself.

Imagine doing it again in Mexico, alone, and finding yourself in a hospital the first night and in a car accident on the third day, after you’ve lost your debit card, have no cash and your credit card has been maxed by a global financial crisis. What would you do?

On day 4 of that trip to Guadalajara, I got up, took my bag and continued my journey. If I didn't finish my project, the entire trip would be for nothing. Nothing has taught me the importance of perseverance like that trip in 2008.

…that you are not alone.

Over the course of hundreds of miles, I have met a variety of people who love that I have taken an interest - a genuine interest - in their city, their country and their culture. People who have dropped everything to walk with me.

Through social media I have connected with hundreds of talented people that love looking at the world through their lenses and we connect with a shared love for the art of photography.

When I have exhibited my work I have seen how the public interacts with it and I have discovered that with every image, there is someone who connects with what I am doing in a way that connects us both.

…that there is so much more.

Photography and music are the most universal art forms today. Just as there are never enough songs that describe an emotion such as love, so too there is no end to the images that we can capture in this world; the stories that we can tell.

There is also more that photography can do to bridge worlds, teach lessons, introduce concepts that would otherwise be impossible.

And for someone who loves street photography, there are so many more places to explore and people to meet along the way.

Portfolio focus: North America

While I have travelled to all 50 US states, 3 Canadian provinces, 7 Mexican states and all but 2 Central American countries, my intentional urban and nature walks with cameras have been only a focus of mine since 2007. As such I have a lot of work to do, especially in the US, to catch up to the work I’ve done in South America. My film photography portfolio includes:
Los Angeles: 2007-8 and on-going
Guadalajara: 2008
New York City: 2009-11
Grand Canyon: 2009, 2018
Baltimore: 1996, 2011
Portland: 2011
Mexico City: 2017
Nicaragua (Managua / Granada / Leon): 2017
Tegucigalpa / Valle de Angeles / Lake Yojoa: 2019
Anchorage / Denali / Kenai Fjords: 2019
Albuquerque: 2021
Colorado: 2021

Walks with Cameras…

Thank you for visiting my creative space.

Walking for hundreds of miles with a camera teaches you…

…about who you are.

…that you are not alone.

…that there is so much more.

Portfolio focus: North America

Portfolio focus: South America

Andy Verostek