Homecoming

Solo travel speaks to my heart.

Whether it is a short trip to another city or a week-long adventure in another country, I’ve always found travelling on my own with a camera to be one of the most rewarding experiences. It’s something I started to become addicted to once I began taking longer drives in Canada. That eventually led to flights to Vancouver and trips to several different countries, as well as a move to Japan that has so far resulted in 13 years of living abroad.

Having the time and space to get lost in thought while also physically getting lost with a camera has helped me grow in ways I could never have anticipated at the time. One of those trips came about when I received a sudden request to travel back to Poland to photograph my grandfather’s funeral. It would become a cornerstone of my future desire to act on plans and goals that had been swirling around in my head for ages.

Back in 2010, while taking a road trip through southern Alberta and into northern Montana, I got a call from my parents asking if I could fly out and photograph the funeral. My father wasn’t able to attend, and I was asked to go in his place. I made it back home at 1 a.m. and was packed and ready to go by the planned 6 a.m. departure for the airport.

By the time I landed in Toronto for a five-hour layover before my next flight to Poland, the weight of what I had been asked to do really started to set in. I had never photographed a funeral and began frantically seeking guidance online from people who had done this sort of thing. I would spend the next flight and the long drive from Warsaw to the north-eastern countryside of Poland with it on my mind.

When it came to the actual photography, my body took over, and I was receptive enough to capture everything and everyone in a respectful manner. I can’t say I remember many of the details. I felt locked in and in the zone, doing my best to capture a moment in time that was surrounded by sadness and grief while also being a part of it myself.

I learned a great deal through that experience, particularly about the importance and value of documenting both the happy and sad experiences in our lives.

Although the picture above is not from that trip, visiting Poland by myself again in 2025 strongly reminded me of that experience and of why I should continue to value such journeys.