No More Dax

Yes, this is a part of my general break down that hopefully leads into reform instead of a grave. Trying to brainstorm a way out of idle running and moving forward is not just something I need to do personally, but professionally as well. In fact, as a freelancer in today’s crisis of photojournalism I’ve been doing that all along. And I guess it’s out of bad habit that both these things have one thing in common – hesitation. The first simply because the things that have been pushed back for so long were pushed back for a very good reason and going there could prove pretty destructive. (Maybe one day I’ll explain) Professionally, it’s difficult to see any purpose to keep playing when the ship is sinking. This isn’t a DiCaprio movie, there’s no Oscar at the end. But I’m not that smart. I don’t just move out. I don’t quit something I’ve worked my whole life for. I intensify it. Reform.

And that’s how the new Dax Photo website is being developed. Finally, a new logo is in place, but still on the old “flashy” website unfriendly to browsers. The new site (comind soon I guess) will cut back on flash and go for effectiveness in metadata, keywords etc. And since the new Dax Photo will no longer be my site, but a platform of three photographers displaying and offering their work, another important change has taken place. There is no more Dax. The personal POV feature story on me is now offline and will never return. (Funny, how I have the feeling it’s just another prophetic move I did…). Another very important (and quite popular to some) story will also be taken off soon. Sorry guys

Yes, it's the Valdoltra story that's saying goodbye as well.

So I decided to publish the personal feature one last time here, and then move it to Who’s Dax eventually… I don’t feel like explaining it much, but some of it must be explained. The above photo for example is probably everything I am inside. Really. Underneath it all. Unblocked. No running away. No pushing back. The sea, the beach, a special beach and a special town, and an important hospital in the background. Feels like yesterday. Still.

Long story short: I spent 14 years in and out of hospitals, mostly Valdoltra. Polio and it's aftermath.

First things first. Television. I used to watch it just short of my eyes shaping into a square. Learned the tricks, got ideas ...

And fishing since I can remember. It also lead me to start photographing and writing about fishing competitions etc. That lead to bigger stuff.

But somewhere in between I started writing screenplays, co-founded the Majestic 5 creative team, and kicked off a creative business that's still running strong.

Soon, photography turned serious. Just slipped into a profession, I don't even know when. Well, I guess all addictions work like that.

Not that my goal was National Geographic Magazine (I knew I had a long way to go), but I did approach every story in the Magazine's manner. As complete, in-depth coverage of several aspects of the story.

Somewhere around the time photography got serious, I slowed down on writing novels. My last (way too long) text was my faculty diploma.

I'm odd and that's what my diplomas were, too. The one at English studies was the comparison of lives and short stories of E. A. Poe and Stephen King.

I wrote only a few short stories myself, none of them were horror, one was a prophecy (:)) well, it's turning out to be). They're marked Top Secret in the "family vault" ) I turned to producing photographic stories instead, and put aside the last and best novel that obviously has no future in our country. Left it somewhere in the middle. Photographic stories are a bigger challange. To say what you need to say in a frame or a series of frames is a lot harder than saying it in a few thousand words.

And that’s the whole thing. Over and out.