Available Light (ePub)

Nicholas Sumner, a photographer whose work has been published in 29 books, has written a travel book with a photographic slant that recounts a seven-year journey across Asia. He developed his photography technique while working as a fashion photographer's assistant, but later found that his knowledge of the subject was more of a hindrance than a help. He had to re-learn everything - not just his photographic method, but also the approach to the people that he found himself among - and it is this inner journey that intertwines with the outer journey, the main narrative theme of Available Light. The book is not about photographic process, but photographic outlook. "e;I experienced moments that were terrifying and sublime, hilarious and tragic. I was twice threatened with firearms and twice arrested; I was abandoned in a blizzard on the Tibetan Plateau in the middle of the night, miles from shelter and without adequate clothing; I trekked through the jungles of Borneo and the mountains of the great Himalaya; I encountered deserts both spiritual and physical, saw things so beautiful that they moved me to tears and received kindness so absolute that I can never repay it. I knew both joy and despair, I ate kangaroo pie, discovered the exact monetary value of my eyebrows and I fell in love. Twice."e;While photography is the most important element of Available Light, the book is a travelogue, driven by experience gained both as a traveller and as a photographer. Nicholas has been inspired by a number of authors including Cervantes, Thackery and Graham Greene and aspires to the writing styles of Bruce Chatwin and Colin Thubron. Available Light will appeal to those interested in both travel writing and photography.