Doubts

It is getting closer to my departure date and I must say I am facing some doubts. I feel this is a good thing, I mean I don't want to walk blindly into something that has a great potential to be either really, really great or to go horribly wrong. Like this young chap, I want some safety ropes tide to me. Like him as well I am looking at what i'm about to do and questioning if I really want to.

I believe the idea of bravery or strength is not the absence of fear. I really believe that it is the idea of being afraid and doing it anyway. Again like this chap I want to face all of my fears and do it anyway. I want to tackle the unknown with an adventurous spirit and monastic discipline.

Yesterday I stood under a blue tent in a cemetery hiding from the storm. I laughed to myself wondering how many moments like that I would have in my travels. Then my phone's battery died, I had no GPS and because of the storm had got turned around running for shelter. So I was wet, tired, lost and cut off from the world in the middle of a cemetery. A very boring cemetery I might add. As I stood underneath a blue tarp that was the shelter for countless open graves I had to ask myself if I was completely insane for wanting to walk across the country. Of course I am completely insane for wanting to do this. Chances are I will be even more insane after my travels. None of that bothers me. I rather like being out of my mind considering most of all of our problems come from the mind. Being out of it also means a limited amount of suffering. So I will take this wonderful opportunity to embrace my insanity and walk out into the wild frontier. See ya on the road.

Caleb Storms

The Photo-Monk

Joy and Suffering

Many moons ago when I was a much different person and a very different photographer. I did a lot of photographs depicting human suffering. These days I really try to stay more on the side of joy.

However I do not ignore the human condition and try to take images that will invoke a sense of compassion within us. If I see something that has a sadness to it, I will take a shot of it. However if I see someone suffering I will not in most cases. I do not want to make a profit off of someone's suffering. I think that is were I draw the line. I do not mind pointing out the suffering of humanity in general in order to invoke a sense of compassion for our fellow humans. I do not however want to single out an individuals suffering and exploit it for my own gain.

So although while I am walking about I see all kinds of things. Many of them very profound and heart wrenching. It is only the shots that are more general in nature that end up being shown. This shopping cart is a perfect example of what I"m talking about. I only took it because whoever collected all these things was not in the shot. So the picture becomes more about us as sentient beings and less about the suffering of a single sentient being. After all, there plight is also mine and yours and everyone's.l

I want someone to walk away from my photos thinking about there own life in a way that helps them to identify with the poor soul on the street. If I was to simply take a picture of a homeless man sleeping, then it would be easy to ask questions about him and never about ourselves. I don't think any of us our free until we all are free. So I'm hoping my images reflect that Idea. I'm your cheering section humanity. Go team go!

Caleb Storms

The Photo-Monk