I have a new appreciation for folks who tell stories about “driving all day”.

After CAPTURE Kansas, two of the photographer attendees (Sarah and Stephen, both from Ohio) and myself left Topeka at 6:15am and didn’t arrive at our designated drop-off point in Dayton, Ohio, until just before 8:00pm. It sure was nice to have multiple drivers for that long of a drive. But I still had more than 4 hours of driving to do before I would arrive at my final destination in north-central West Virginia. Boy was I tired when I pulled up the driveway after 1:00am the next morning! Very grateful for safety, relative awareness, and no personal encounters with white-tail in the rut.

But all the effort that went into CAPTURE Kansas was worth it. Totally worth it. I don’t think I’ll ever be able to explain just how exciting it is to see other photographers grow in their skills in photography, enjoy fellowship with others who hold similar passions . . . and, among other more concrete accomplishments, actually get their pictures assembled in an organized fashion on their computers!

Photo by Sarah

Even though we spent a good amount of time each day in a classroom setting, we spent more of our time in the outdoors, walking through various ways of setting up shots, seeing exactly how different camera settings produce different results, and simply exploring places we may very well never have the opportunity to explore again.

Only if the Lord wills shall we have a CAPTURE Kansas again next year. But I’m planning on it, and am more confident than ever that it will be worth “driving all day” again to be there!