Since 1983, I have worked as an emergency physician at small and large hospitals all over the Western U.S. and Alaska. I find that there are many similarities between my two professions. Every day I spend as an outdoor photographer is different and full of surprises.
The same could certainly be said for a day spent as a locum tenens in an emergency department. And in the same way that providing good health care is a team approach, my success as a photographer depends on multiple factors--weather, planning, animal behavior, and luck. While the contribution I make to a community as a locum tenens is easy to measure, I still feel challenged to use my photography as a tool for improving the world. I can’t help feeling that artistically capturing pure beauty seems hedonistic and socially irresponsible at times. Yet it is important to document what we are trying to save as well as what we are destroying at a fast pace.
VISTA note: Howie Garber/Wanderlustimages.com is currently featured in a solo exhibit of his nature photography at Evolutionary Health Care Gallery, 461 East 200 South, Suite 100, in Salt Lake City, Utah. The exhibit is titled “The First 18 Years of Wanderlust.”Howie is introducing new prints to the collection of his fine art. He has done landscape, wildlife, and environmental photography on seven continents. You can meet the physician/photographer at a Gallery Stroll on June 20th from 6 to 9 p.m. He will be donating 20% of photo sales to Utah Physicians for a Healthy Environment and Utah Moms for Clean Air. The exhibit will run through July 15, 2008. You can view Howie’s photography on his website www.wanderlustimages.com. Photos courtesy of Howie Garber, MD.