Home»Light Source Photography by Lee Scott»Beautiful Suffering: Photos from the Road 2007 - 2020 (Sample)

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Hardcover, 10"x8", 240 pages, fine art photographic paper, over 300 images from some of the most beautiful places on our planet. Travel photography inspired by Lee's Ohenro pilgrimage to the 88 Shingon temples of Shikoku, Japan; and his 100 day photography trip to the Arctic Ocean. This book is absolutely filled with some of Lee's best work and most personal.
$149 + $15 USPS shipping to the US
($164 total)

From the Introduction...
Beautiful Suffering is inspired by two main events- the first being my Ohenro pilgrimage to the 88 Shingon Temples across the island of Shikoku, Japan from 2007 to 2008; and second, an 100 day photography adventure from Seattle to the Arctic Ocean in 2018.
It was during the Ohenro pilgrimage that I first began to take my photography seriously. It was then that I began to plan my time around photography. Travel became less about visiting somewhere new and more about photographingsomewhere new. This shift, I think, lead me from being a participant to an active observer, which in many ways is what a photographer is: an active observer. This role, while incredibly meaningful, can become rather lonely as the photographer lives through long hours, early mornings, seemingly endless drives and lots of time in the field--alone-- watching, thinking , hoping, looking for something to connect with and to share with others.
The second inspiration, and the namesake of this book, was my long road trip in 2018, which I half jokingly refer to as The Beautiful Suffering. I call it this because when we think of traveling to photograph new landscapes, cultures and scenes we often do so romantically, daydreaming of golden light, perfect wild animal encounters, ideal weather, pastoral picnics with friends, and ramblings that always lead somewhere safe and fun. But travel-- especially travel photography-- is usually much less glamorous and much more stressful. Yes, it is enjoyable to be sure, but it ain't all sublime sunsets and carefree itineraries. Yet, I believe it is essential to endure these elements of suffering in order to discover and share the beauty of places and people both new and known. This is life-- this is Beautiful Suffering-- and this is what I hope to connect with, and to communicate in this book of photography from the road. I hope you enjoy the images, and I wish you many safe travels.