Intentionally Lost?
The goal of this website is to provide a resource for anyone who is exploring the world and themselves through photography.
When I travel, I plan time to let my curiosity take me to places I never researched or intended to visit before I got off the plane. Being lost means you will discover things about the place that you didn’t know were there, and you will probably discover things about yourself that you didn’t know were there. Being Lost is an opportunity to be somebody you didn’t know you could be. That’s what I’m going for when I travel, and it is equally as useful to apply that to a creative process. No matter how long you have been practicing your craft, aspire to the state of the beginner – your skills and experience will still guide you, but attempt to look at every scene as if you’ve never seen anything like it before.
Why do I have mixed cycling and photography content on the site?
I like to experience the world through photography and often from the seat of a bike. Cycling and photography bring me closer to a place by making me more aware, and they both make me participate in what I'm seeing. I ran multi day cycling trips for a few years; riding with my guests, spending half the day on the bike and half the day photographing the location. The number of people in that space where multi day cycling enthusiasts and eager hobbyist photographers overlap is a small niche indeed; not enough to pay for the costs of developing and running the tours. While I no longer run cycling trips, I share my own stories and those of other adventurous cyclists with a passion for photography. If I'm being real honest; the solitude of a day or several days alone on my bike is something I look forward to. On the other hand, photographing alone isn't nearly as rewarding as composing a frame while discussing it alongside other photographers so I still enjoy running photography focused trips.
Who is This Kevin Wenning Guy?
I would much rather browse photos than read articles. I don’t really even like video that much. I prefer a picture. It’s more like a book. Okay, now I just sound crazy right?
Reading a book I get to imagine how the people look and what their voice sounds like and what they care about and do with their free time – I project my own reality into their story as I read it. The same is true of a still image. I project my own experiences into that image as I look at it. Maybe I remember having been there, or that I’ve never been there and I want to go, or it might remind me of another place and time altogether. These are the reasons we print and hang photos in our homes; nevermind the conversation about whether you call it art or not. Anything that jumpstarts my imagination is right up my alley. Give me a picture; that’s a good place to start.
I did several years of client work in studio & commercial projects before I discovered travel photography. A couple of years into travel photography, I started Intentionally Lost to combine my passions for seeing the world through cycling & photography; and to experience the world with like-minded adventure travelers.
My projects now focus on photography as art. I'm always looking to make artistic rather than literal photos.
Random Personal Notes:
- I talk to myself; comes in handy on those long solo bike trips.
- Favorite thing about myself — I haven’t had to do my hair in years
- Last minute trip to a place I hadn’t planned on going — Dubai
- Is photography art? — don’t get me started; short answer is, it can be.
- Favorite Color — nothing compares to purple
- Dream job — circus ringmaster
- Star Wars or Star Trek — Star Trek
- Vice — scotch, the more smoky and peaty the better
- My favorite food that my wife won’t cook with — mushrooms
- Making new mistakes means I’m exploring new challenges.
- I enjoy being uncomfortable — putting myself in situations where I have to pay attention, work hard and develop new skills.
- Moods and thoughts follow actions — act first and understanding and desire will follow. If you wait until you feel like doing something or have a fully formed understanding before acting...then you never will act.
- It’s okay to take yourself less seriously but never okay to be less professional
- Win people over on your own merits; never by disparaging someone else.
- Quote that's stuck in my head — "all the gods, all the heavens, all the hells are within you"
- Bucket list — I don't have one. That's just a list of things you think are impractical or out of your reach. If it’s worth doing someday it’s worth doing as soon as practical.
- Overarching personal philosophy — The things we make, make us!
Why Are We Fascinated By Photography?
There are so few opportunities in our life to execute something to completion exactly the way we see it in our mind; and to do it so quickly. Photography gives us the chance to do that. I may not have control of all the situations in my life, but I can visualize, execute, edit and share a photo in the span of a day or even an hour. If I think I can improve on that result, I don’t have to ask my boss, or my spouse, or write a proposal to a committee, or pitch an investor before I spend months working to bring my vision to life. I only have to convince myself and improve myself in order to get a better result next time. And that next time doesn’t have to be next month or next year; it can be right now. At its most basic; executing a photograph is a dopamine hit through a micro achievement that we perform just for ourselves.
Photography empowers us to be fully aware in the moment, to shape an otherwise commonplace situation into something fantastical, to premeditate a scene and then pull together the elements to create that vision, and to communicate our unique way of seeing the world.
In this golden age of good inexpensive digital cameras, the barriers to entry are low and getting started is easy. Everyone is a photographer. I actually believe that. Okay; so, now what? There is a huge difference between a snapshot taken with your phone and a purposefully composed image. The beauty is that anyone can bridge that gap with even a modest commitment of time and effort. Good photography makes us think about how to make the most beautiful and interesting outcome from an otherwise ordinary situation. A series of events is merely a canvas to work with, and it’s up to us to draw out the beauty in the situation. It’s impossible to truly practice this in one area of your life without it spilling over to the rest of your life.
I enjoy doing guest post articles and podcasts. Check out the press kit page for some sample materials and interviews or just send me a message here and let's talk.
