Beyond The Campfire: The Story Behind The BTC Name

 I've known a great many campfires over the years and no two of them were ever the same. Each had their own personality and impact on my outdoor experiences. I suppose they are my favorite part of the camping experience. Building one from scratch requires a learning curve stretched across dozens of attempts in all kinds of weather. Even so, there is a warmth to a campfire that goes far beyond the physical heat generated by them. 

Back in 2010 when I started the Beyond the Campfire site, I struggled to come up with a theme that would be fitting for and to express the depth of the stories that would be created through time. My thought process on the selection of the BTC name followed a simple axiom; A campfire is comfortable, it is warm, it feels safe, it provides illumination when it is dark, and it captures the imagination. I wanted to take the readers beyond all of that, beyond what is comfortable, and expose them to experiences that would challenge them to step away from their comfort areas, and explore new possibilities both photographically, and emotionally as it related to the outdoor experience. So the words, Beyond the Campfire became the descriptive title of the then new blog page dedicated to capturing and experiencing the outdoors.

I also wanted a title page image that captured the feeling of the beyond the campfire theme. The main title page image sort of happened by accident actually. It was made on Oklahoma's Tallgrass Prairie, one of my favorite locations to photograph and to spend time outdoors. 

In all honesty, I was surprised at how the image turned out, and in all honesty, it is not a single photograph, but a composite of two images. One image was of a prairie sundown which of itself was an okay image but still needed something to bring out the qualities it did have, and to restore the defects within it. The other one was a pretty bad photo of me standing amongst a field of coneflowers. That photo really was not very well made with the sky all washed out and nothing compositionally worked well with it. 

Sometime later I learned a technique of how to blend two completely different photos into a single photo and thought these two might be good ones to experiment with. Never really thought the technique would amount to much. When I executed the last option to blend the images into one, what appeared on the screen was a single photo with a far greater impact than the sum of both images by themselves. I literally spoke out loud and said "WOW"! when it appeared. In a single stroke of insight, I realized this particular photo just might become one of the most impactful images I've ever created. Even though it is a blend of two photos, the defects found in both images became the strength of the visual story their combined qualities portrayed. It mattered little that the image was made from two photos. What matter most was that the finished product stood apart from most everything I've ever created and it visually told the powerful story of what photography and Beyond the Campfire was all about; Trying new things to capture the world from the perspective of what you feel as opposed to what you see it. This image portrays a profound impact of what spending time in nature can have on a persons life. 

It's been a long haul and an up and down ride since then. To date over 500 articles have been posted and I've learned a great deal about how to express and share my thoughts on the various subjects. The blog has undergone numerous levels of change from in the beginning where the articles were mostly about photographic technique, then the stories shifted toward capturing outdoor experiences photographically. Over time, the stories shifted again with a greater emphasis placed on nostalgic memories from my earliest days afield using vintage type photos to help tell the story. More recently the story emphasis has shifted again toward the deeper meaning and impact of spending time outdoors, with more video programs being made to create a more personal view of my experiences. These videos are called Beyond The Campfire Adventure Photography and attempt to take photography into a newer and different realm.

Photography has from the beginning been an important combining element for the stories. The evolution of Beyond the Campfire I suppose represents how I have changed as well since beginning this journey. Being fully retired now offers a greater opportunity to explore new worlds and adventures with my backpack, my canoe, and my Jeep, and as always...with my camera in hand.