Tandem Annual Meeting... Santa Fe 2013

It is difficult to describe the synergy that is created when you gather together a contingent of some of the most dedicated and productive photographers in the field of adventure sports, travel/outdoor lifestyle/conservation... 

Ian and JP at Tandem Stills and Motion have done a stellar job of continually finding and creating markets for those dedicated to visual storytelling. Once possessed, it is nice to have an agency that continues to be photographer-centric and the Annual Meeting helped further forge the feeling of being a very active part of the company and its trajectory. The company is living up to its name...

The amount of creative energy and passion is a little scary and incredibly humbling when you consider that among the 30 or so individuals at the Tandem Annual Meeting you have folks that have worked and published for National Geographic, the Nature Conservancy, Outside Magazine, Sierra Club, Backpacker and dozens of other top end adventure, travel clients both commercially and editorially.

They are the image makers, the photo editors, creative directors, videographers... the ones shlepping gear and a unique eye to the far corners of the earth, staring at screens till eyes glaze tear and blur, often trading sleep and the comfortable life - for that of the modern day nomadic griot and share stories...

 I wanted to gather passports and count the countries everyone had been to. Bhutan, Tanzania, Tasmania, Svalbard...

Post meeting there was an offshoot contingent that wandered the streets and galleries of Santa Fe and the hills above. One of the coolest experiences ever is getting to walk and shoot with people whose work you have admired for years. To see their unique processes and passions unfold and expressed is magic at work. And to see just how real they are too is fun...

My hope is that next year 's meeting is a day or two longer and that we can have more opportunities to run around and shoot more... I am banking on proximity and synergy to amplify the conduit to the creative muse... Thanks to everyone.

All image ©Bennett Barthelemy