Today we’d like to introduce you to Michael Harding
Hi Michael, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I have been in love with the American landscape for as long as I can remember. I’ve had a camera in my hands for almost as long. As a child growing up in Washington DC, my desire to travel was fueled by one too many trips to the Smithsonian or the National Aquarium in Baltimore or from the National Geographics I flipped through at my grandmother’s house. I used to sit in my room and dream about travelling to places that, at the time, seemed as far away as the moon, places with exotic sounding names like Cheyenne and Santa Fe and Savannah. At 12, I bought a National Parks Passport and my list grew with destinations like Yosemite and Voyageurs and Grand Canyon. My time in the Boy Scouts brought out in me a love of the great outdoors that was undeniable. When I was out camping or hiking or canoeing I felt like I could breathe better than I ever could in the city. I felt more alive out there. I still do. My camera of choice back then was the old Kodak Ektralite – you know, the ones that looked like an ice cream sandwich. I dreamed of taking great photos that would end up in books and magazines. It didn’t happen overnight, but tens of thousands of photos later, it did start to happen.
Meanwhile, I studied Wildlife Science and American History at Penn State, and armed with those degrees I set out to make my travel dreams come true. At 24, I interviewed for an Overland Tour Guide position based out of Los Angeles and soon found myself on a plane headed west and as far away from home as I’d ever been. That morning I was saying goodbye to my family in DC, and that evening I watched the sun set over the Pacific Ocean from the end of the Santa Monica Pier. I was on my way.
For most of the last 25 years I have guided multi-week adventure camping tours all over the U.S. and Canada, focusing mainly on our incredible national parks. Through the years I’ve had the amazing opportunity to see these places many times over through all different seasons, and my camera is always close at hand. In 2017 I bought my trusty Coach House camper van and set out to see the places in between, the places that the tourists rarely go. I wanted to pass time in state parks and small towns and explore those little off-the-beaten-track spots that only the locals can guide you to. These personal travels have taken me through the Deep South, Appalachia, the Desert Southwest and the Great Lakes and in all of these regions I have found beautiful landscapes, kind people and incredible stories. I have tried to share my travels as best I can through my website www.miles2gobeforeisleep.com and through my social media outlets. My photos have been picked up and published in magazines and books and been hung on the walls of galleries and museums.
I look forward to continuing my journey for many years to come, returning to places I love and discovering new and different places along the way. I hope you’ll come along for the ride.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
It’s definitely not been a smooth road. Weather, breakdowns, disappointments and heartbreaks come with the territory when you’re on the road for 300 days out of the year. Self-doubt and loneliness are constant companions. And that’s not to mention the pandemic which shut my journey down for over a year. I’ve been struggling to recover from that ever since and while I’ve been able to get back to guiding, my personal travels have been on hold for several years now. I do hope to get back out there for an extended personal journey in the near future, but it’s difficult to pick back up after such a long break. I’ve been very fortunate to have support from so many people around the country and the world and look forward to getting back on track soon.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
My photography is something I’m very proud of. It’s the art in my soul that my hands can’t convey. I’ve never been much of a painter, nor can I draw or sculpt, but photography has allowed me to show people the world as I see it. I’m probably best known for my photo essays of small-town America where I spend time just wandering the streets and trying to find the little details that many people miss. There are few better compliments than when I receive an email from someone who has lived in a town for a very long time and to hear them say that they now look at it differently having seen it through my lens. Or when people say they walk down a certain street every day but never stopped to look at something until they saw my photo of it on my website. I believe it’s my willingness to walk through an unknown place with my eyes wide open that lets me get those shots. I’m probably most proud of my photos which have landed on book covers. It’s such an amazing compliment to know that someone has chosen my art to convey an idea of everything that lies in those pages. I am also thrilled that some of my National Park photos have been chosen to hang in some very well respected galleries and public spaces around the country. I think that’s a huge honor as well. I simply love taking photos and showing people places they’ve never seen with their own eyes. I hope it inspires people to get out and explore. It’s a big, beautiful world out there.
Is there anyone you’d like to thank or give credit to?
I certainly need to give a nod to my friends and family back at home. They may not always understand what I’m doing or why, but that hasn’t stopped them from giving me their full support over the years. I also have to give a shout-out to all of the tour companies I’ve worked for over the years which have helped keep me on the road and exploring, and to all of my clients who have not only helped me out financially but supported me in every way. Of course all of the people who read my blog, follow my Instagram, buy and publish my photos or just send words of encouragement are the key to everything and I appreciate every one of them. As I’ve said from the very start, it’s not my journey, it’s our journey.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.miles2gobeforeisleep.com
- Instagram: @miles2gobeforeisleep
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Miles2GoBeforeISleepOnline
- Twitter: @miles2gotweet
