It’s no secret to those who know me. I love photography. If something interesting or fun is happening in the city, I want to go see it, and I want to take pictures!
I recently participated in one of the most fun events to do with photography — an event perfect for me, one where I got to take part and take pictures!
Have you ever heard of the World Wide Photo Walk?
The World Wide Photo Walk is an organized social event where photographers of all skill levels converge on a city’s downtown core or trendy section of town and shoot to their heart’s content. This year, more than 30,000 photographers took part in 1,300 cities around the world. That’s a lot of photos!
On Saturday morning (Oct. 13), 50 photography enthusiasts participated in the 5th annual World Wide Photo Walk here in Sudbury, which was organized and led by Kat Huck and her husband, Chuck Swinden, owners of Rodenas Photography here in Sudbury. This is the second time the couple organized and led the walk.
I arrived alongside the other participants at 9 a.m. at the Farmer’s Market. The energy was palpable as we stood around introducing ourselves and finishing our morning coffee. The weather was perfect in my opinion, not too warm, not too cold, a bit of sun and a bit of cloud.
Before dispersing, cameras in hand, Kat gathered us together, snapped a group picture and handed us all a map she had made, outlining 10 buildings downtown of historical significance. She encouraged us to have fun and get great shots. She also reminded us to be careful and be respectful of others. Kat is a great leader, a talented graphic designer and photographer who has a way with people and a great sense of humour. I first met her a couple of years ago when I took a workshop she was giving about flash photography.
There is an official website where participants register before the walk and are encouraged to upload their best photo after the walk to qualify for awesome prizes. Each walk is limited to 50 participants; however, there may be several walks organized in a single city.
During a recent photography event, Janet Young snapped this image of Durham Street candy store Boo-Bah_Lou 2, her favourite candy store in the city.
When I asked Kat why she and Chuck volunteered to lead the walk Kat stated, “It’s a great event. We have a huge number of photographers (enthusiasts, pros and semi-pros) in town, everyone loves getting together so why not?” She is encouraging me to organize and lead the walk next year and I have agreed to do so.
I spoke with Barb Anderson-Lanois, who owns Phoenix Photography. She was also a first-time attendee. I asked her for her thoughts afterward and she told me, “I loved the opportunity to meet other photographers, learn something about Sudbury and see everyone’s pictures.”
Sudbury, its downtown in particular, is home to many heritage buildings, buildings with deep history and untold stories.
We were fortunate to have such great walk leaders. Chuck provided interesting facts about the history of some of the buildings we explored, while Kat answered questions and showed us some sweet spots we may have not seen. You could tell they had done their research!
I met a young lady named Spence during the walk. I was curious why a 17-year-old would get up so early on a Saturday to take pictures. She explained that Kat had encouraged her to come out and have some fun. Afterward, when I asked Spence if she enjoyed herself she stated, “I enjoyed meeting new photographers that share the same interests as me, and catching up with some old friends too, and learning a lot. The highlight of my day was how many laughs everyone shared and all the fun we had.”
I concur.
I have to put this event down as one of my top five favourites of the year. For me, it was fun to meet and spend time with other photographers and share a beautiful morning taking an investigative look at our surroundings, the new and the old.
After the walk, we gathered at The Laughing Buddha, where we chatted, peeked at each others photos and enjoyed lunch and camaraderie. It was the perfect end to a perfect morning and I’m already looking forward to next year!
To see some photographs taken during the walk, visit the following flickr group.
To find out more about the Worldwide Photowalk, visit worldwidephotowalk.com.
