One Thing: Simplify

If everything went to plan, I’m currently in the bush on the Zambezi River, probably just settling in for the evening by the campfire with a whisky in my hand and a blanket of stars above me. Behind me, a forest of winterthorn trees, and around me, the song of frogs. In the distance, splashing and the deep guttural noises of hippos that sound like the lascivious laughter of old men. More than my happy place, it’s a place of deep peace and contentedness. As you read this, I’m a couple of days into one of my longest trips yet, my mind already full of the possibilities and hope for the photographs I’ve yet to make. More than anything else, this is why I do this. My days behind the camera will be a constant back-and-forth between peace and panic, deep serenity and second-guessing myself about the direction of my work and the choices I’m making. But even when I’m distracted by the picture-making, there is wonder. Part of that wonder is a response to the wildness around me. And part of it…