We never want to believe that there is a magical reality, though there are a myriad of magical places in this world. We all too often choose to ignore the wide-open door leading elsewhere, and instead live vicariously through fictional characters beamed onto our televisions. Perhaps the outskirts of town is a foreign land as one gets tangled up in every day life, or maybe even the thought of hopping on a plane today seems like more hassle that it is worth.
Instead, we want to live uncomplicated, and simple, lives, staying put. We want to swim in reality, and remain in our "safety zones," but while swimming through it, we can miss out on so many idyllic landscapes, vibrant cultures, and amazingly beautiful architecure waiting for us to discover. Yes, we do get a glimpse of another world without realizing at times, though there is no real substitute for travel. In fact, no matter how much you have learned in a classroom, there is no better education than experiencing a land beyond our borders first-hand.
During Paulda's adult life,he has grown tremendously, and has learned to "think internationally" simply by opening his mind while visiting countries foreign to his own. As a travel photographer, Mark has flown a million miles, trundled step after step, and have clicked the shutter on his camera more times than can be counted.
Throughout this book you will view some rather stunning images of magical places, and this is Mark's reality. One could say - everything Paulda has learned, he has learned from traveling around this world, and yet, there are still so many lessons to be learned, and so many more corners of this world to discover. Along side Mark Paulda 's award winning photographs, read his truisms about life, and travel, such as: "Even if you aren't the traveler, or person, you want to be in your head, it's never too late to change," or "There are some great benefits to not knowing the local language - like miming 'chicken' to let the waitress know you want eggs for breakfast."
Mark Paulda is not only an observer of life, but also has a passion for traveling to foreign lands challenging that which he is most familiar. Professionally, Mark is an award-winning travel photographer and best-selling author. His first book, "Celebrating El Paso," sold out of its first printing within three months of its release, and went on to become the fastest selling book for TCU Press. "Edge of the Southwest" is now in production, and Mark's third book, "London After Hours" is in the works. Additionally, his images have been part of colaborative publications such as Sandy Hill 's "Mountain," published by Rizolli, David Tucker 's "London Walks," and Karen Griffith 's "Reflections of Lake Lenore."
Mark Paulda 's photographic career has brought him many accolades including: finalist, 2008/2010/2011 International Travel Photographer of the Year; semi-finalist, Shell Wildlife Photographer of the Year; semi-finalist for landscape at the Venice International Photo Awards; and 3rd prize, Prix de la Photographie Paris. His work is represented by the Hal Marcus Gallery, and has been exhibited at the El Paso Museum of Art, the International Exhibition of Fine Art Photography at the Center for Fine Art Photography; the Georgetown Art Hop, and many other venues throughout the world.
"The Wandering Wayfarer - Life's Lessons as a Travel Photographer" by Mark A Paulda is available at iBookstore and Amazon.
