Meet Wendall

 

That gentleman in the picture is Wendell Shepherd.  But before we get to him, I want to talk about me.   I’m a nature photographer but if you have been following my Blog you might not believe me.   After all, I have lots of pictures of old cars, old buildings, and kids on skateboards.  Even with the kids on skateboards, the picture is more about what they are doing rather than who they are.  A few weeks ago I attended a lecture in Baltimore by my friends Tony Sweet and John Barclay.  During John’s “Dream, Believe, Create” lecture he shows wonderful examples of people he has captured with his camera.  But like me, John is a “nature” photographer and we find ourselves on similar paths.  I know that I’m still passionate about getting out in nature and making pictures and I know John is as well, but I think we both seek something more.  After hearing John talk about photographing people and the barriers within him, we were inspired.  After the lecture I headed down to the Inner Harbor with friends Greg and Bill to shoot at night.  While shooting  we also heard a trumpet player off in the distance.  We were all of the same mind about seeking out the source of the music.   We found Wendell.  He was quite agreeable to letting us photograph him in exchange for some compensation.   I wonder if we had not been inspired by John’s lecture during the day,  would we have set off in search of the music?  The shot above was taken with my trusty Lensbaby.