THE QUEST FOR THE HOLIEST OF PHOTOGRAPHY GRAILS
Photography travel is my absolute passion, and I know just what my clients are seeking in terms of high quality images. Having guided small groups over all my itineraries multiple times since 1988 I know the spots one should be at particular times of day.

I make it all relaxing and fun, and never hesitate to pass on all that I have learnt over the years. Nothing pleases me more than when clients become friends, and return home as better photographers, and with images of a standard they didn't think they could achieve when they set off for the trip.

INTEGRITY: WHO ARE YOU DEALING WITH?
When you commit to any photo tour you're traveling with someone with whom, initially, you know little about. Consequently, my position is one of privilege and responsibility, and what every client undoubtedly seeks is a Guide in whom they can trust in every respect. The basis of this trust deserves the utmost integrity from me at all times, and be reflected in all that I do on each trip. For me, this is also based solidly in spiritual values which is reflected in attitude, care shown, and a general 'can do' disposition.

IN THE BEGINNING [no, not that beginning!]
I was born in Lichfield, Staffordshire, England, at an early age, and primarily raised in Warwickshire orphanages where my many photographic odysseys have their roots. My Father noted that this all began on the pier in Rhyl, Wales back in 1964 while on a day trip with the other 20 kids. I had a small plastic camera which cost 7s 6d at the time [50 cents today], but eventually I cut my ‘photographic teeth’ in the early 70’s on a Russian Zenith B which was a crude, very crude, Pentax Spotmatic clone of that era.

Involvement as a Group Leader of a Welsh Young Ornithologists group led me into my initial passion of bird photography via the many species that were often nursed back to health and released. This work led to the receiving of a Prince of Wales Award in 1978, and one doesn’t pass up the chance of pointing a lens at an English Prince when he’s chatting with you.

I did volunteer work for the Nature Conservancy of Wales, and added flora and fauna to my list of photographic interests. This in turn blossomed to provide an in-depth background of the world around us, and the many ways one can transfer that onto film. Yes, it's a life-long challenge of course!

WHAT, GIVE UP REAL WORK?
One Morris Jones had to ‘persuade’ me to join Deudraeth Camera Club in 1979, and this further immersion with my passion soon saw me turning professional. I freelanced for Welsh and English publications, and whoever would buy my work and/or my occasional scribblings.

Back then I would enter a variety of photographic competitions and exhibitions. Uncannily - I'd never even won a raffle - the awards flowed within the Welsh and English Photographic Federations, and also at the Welsh National Eisteddfod [a festival of the arts] on a regular basis, plus my work also found recognition in several nationally distributed British photo magazines. A couple of North Wales weekly newspapers also had the audacity to publish my offerings as they considered them as being newsworthy.  Of course, being me, they were accompanied by pun-laden captions that if nothing else put a grin on the face of the reader.

FROM A SINGLE IMAGE TO ‘MULTI-IMAGE’
At about this time, 1979, I got involved in what the British term as ‘slide-sound’ production. In the U.S. this might be termed as ‘multi-media’ or ‘audio-visual’. Perhaps the more accurate term of ‘multi-image’ goes a little further in conveying the delicacy, deftness, sensitivity, emotion and creativity that went into my two-projector work. The programs are collectively titled ‘Visual Journeys’, and have been screened frequently throughout the United States as an ‘introduction’ of myself and Travel Images to the photographic fraternity. Go to Camera Clubs for a review of ‘Visual Journeys’. Nowadays though it's all digital, and even though I have the best software, thousands of digital images and a decent digital projector, what I lack is time!

GO STRAIGHT TO PHOTO TRAVEL, DO NOT COLLECT $200
This distinct style of creating ‘third images’ led to many repeat presentations, and they caught the eye of the Close-up Expeditions owner Don Lyon while I was visiting Idaho in 1984, and for whom I went on to lead many photo trips in North America and Europe. Clients soon began to request that I lead customized trips for them personally, and consequently I established Travel Images in 1991. Not a bad name for a photography tour biz, eh?!

LIVE AND LET'S FLY
After moving to the United States in 1985 I had resided in the mountains of the McCall, Idaho, but the distance to the nearest major airport was a factor that brought about a move to Boise, Idaho in 1998. This coincided with an increase of flights for Travel Images business, and along with the frequent appearances at various Camera Clubs across the US I got the feeling that I was emerging from the photographic wilderness!

Even during the ‘wilderness’ spell, I was published in many British and Canadian magazines, plus the likes of 'Natural History' to 'Farm and Ranch Living' here in the United States. I have written 80 plus photography columns, share the ‘photographic arts’ at conventions and seminars, and [still] plan on having a ‘coffee table’ book of images on release before I 'meet my Maker'. Just being realistic!

OK, so it's all hands, well, four anyway, to the photo travel grindstone. We hope that you'll choose Travel Images for a future photography tour, and that we'll meet you in a distant city's airport some day.

John and Laurie

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