With Gratitude...
In my early days of transitioning from one career to another, I often thought about what I could do to give back to the land and the people that I held an incredible respect for who had taught me so much about being an artist.
When I traveled in Mongolia it occurred to me that photography could feel extractive. Something that other cultural photographers have had to weigh as they've worked across the globe. While it's a deep passion of mine, I also understand that to carry a story from one part of the world to another can hold a deep responsibility.
What does the person in the image want us to convey?
Are we helping to preserve culture and story in a way that honours people?
Whether I was in Mongolia, Sri Lanka or Canada, one of the common themes to employment in Indigenous tourism and guiding was the need to hold a valid drivers license and in many countries a higher class of drivers license.
In British Columbia, that license is a Class 4 unrestricted license to drive a passenger van. Holding this class of drivers license is not only a commitment to road safety and the safety of guests who are being guided, but also allows Indigenous communities to benefit from tourism income while creating local employment opportunities.
At Field Notes Photography, I value the safety of our guests and I deeply value creating capacity for locals to also become involved in celebrating and teaching others about their territory.
It's my commitment that 10% of all income from our guided trips will be invested into class 4 driver training for the Haida and Nuxalk Nation.
To learn more about Indigenous Tourism in British Columbia, please visit our friends at Indigenous Tourism BC.
Thank you for your shared support of this initiative.
Lucy Sager ~
