Along the Way evolved out of an appreciation for the rural landscape of Western Canada while wandering the grasslands outside Calgary, Alberta as a boy.
The dog continually appeared as a point of reference to the land, to humans or to both. I later began to appreciate and emulate the roamings of the stray dog. Somehow it seemed that a dog on the loose, oblivious to the constraints of time and physical boundaries like fences or "private property" signs made better sense to me than my human world does.
By looking at things through a dog's eyes, I've attempted to develop a canine sense - - one full of wonder, humor, and most importantly, a sense of simplicity.
Uncluttered by extraneous thoughts, unburdened by physical baggage and open to each day as it awakens, the dog has much to teach.
This body of work spans over ten years and many hundreds of miles. Each piece is, in essence, a self-protrait documenting a unique situation within its particular landscape.
From quirky and mysterious to the benign, these photographs are all dictated by chance. They are never staged or orchestrated.
My process of documentation requires a complete lack of planning. The resulting images cannot be pre-conceived. Working this way requires a willingness to participate with a sense of exhuberance for the landscape and for the unexpected moment in time that will never happen again. It is also a love for and a testament to the freedom that I, as both human and dog, have to explore randomly and at will.

jkd
June, 2000