Nature photography and The Creative Process

Gerry Van Der Walt returns to Chicago Photography Classes with a keynote about how the pandemic changes the nature photography and the creative process.

Gerry says: “As a photographer, the way we see and experience the world around us affects the way we approach our photography and how we  portray the scenes and subjects we document.  The COVID-19 pandemic made us reassess many aspects of our lives and this includes the way we think and feel about our craft, creative process and the photographs we make.”

In this visual 1.5 hour presentation Gerry  will share his own personal journey of creativity and change and how the last two years has affected his own approach to nature and travel photography.  Gerry will also explore how the worlds of wildlife and landscape photography has shifted since people could head back into the wild places of the world with a renewed sense of adventure and a need to document the moments and places we could not experience during two years of isolation.

This presentation, which will include images and travel stories from destinations like Africa, Svalbard and Iceland, will leave you with a healthy dose of creative food for thought, an understanding of how the skill transfer between photographic genres can make you a better photographer as well as an appreciation for how your emotions and mental headspace will not only affect our own creativity but also how you can use it to explore new and rewarding ways to photograph your world.

About Gerry:

Gerry van der Walt is an international expedition leader, nature and travel photographer, co founder of Wild Eye and a life & performance coach based in Johannesburg, South Arica.