the daily imagery of local photographer and perpetual walker george breed
flagstaff in the frame f
or a different idea for a feature this edition, we approached Flagstaff resident George Breed, who has become one of Flagstaff’s constant photographers. He is always out shooting and capturing the essence of place. Now, we present some of his favorite images here as a way to celebrate our favorite mountain town. Note that, in an agreement with the photographer, the images are not captioned and left to the viewer interpretation of person, animal and place.
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Northern Arizona's Mountain Living Magazine
july-august16 namlm.com
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n avid walker. A persistent photographer. A martial arts philosopher. A Facebook darling. These are only a few titles that apply to Flagstaff resident George Breed. The Georgia-born observer and thinker made it to Flagstaff by way of Nogales in 1990. Then, 10 years ago, he made a big decision. He moved near downtown Flagstaff and gave away his car. He decided his preferred mode of travel would be on foot. This intersected with two other phenomena. One came when Breed decided he wanted a camera to capture all of the moments he saw on his walks. The other when he began to share his images consistently both on Facebook and on his photo blog,
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flagstaffwalker.wordpress.com. The blog has become a hit both with a number of Flagstaff residents and people who left town but miss it. It’s a celebration of place, but to Breed, it’s also something more. “I definitely see a spiritual connection to it,” he said during a sit-down interview at Firecreek Coffee Co. “There are two principles to martial arts, to teaching martial arts. The first is centering. The second is opening.” Breed explained that with centering, you turn inward and with opening you turn outward and connect to the world outside of you. And both parts become connected to his daily walks and photographs. Each day brings something new and
Northern Arizona's Mountain Living Magazine
july-august16 namlm.com
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Northern Arizona's Mountain Living Magazine
unexpected, he said. Such as on that mid-May morning. He crossed paths with a girl who held up a sign that read “I love you.” Such moments are easy to identify as ones he wants to capture with his camera. Most times, he said that he “takes photos of what speaks to me. I look to where my attention is called.” His daily walking routes also are approached with intuition. “I listen to the inside as to what direction to go. I don’t think it up.” He does, however, feel a tug toward his favorite place in Flagstaff, Frances Short Pond. The small pond located between Thorpe Park and Bonito Street is a haven for wildlife of all stripes and a reflection of the comings and goings of the seasons. Breed also might nudge himself that way for photos he’s on the hunt for, such as the spring arrival of the baby ducks. When not walking or photographing, Breed is known
to write and write often. He’s the author of 10 books, such as a popular one he wrote on martial arts called Embodying Spirit: The Inner Work of the Warrior. He also has penned a number of spiritual guides, such as 60 Meditations of the Heart. Along with these books, he’s also tackled fiction. This includes a “Twitter novel,” written where chapters are under the constraints of the 140-character limit. Breed’s adventures also often take him to city hall, where he attends and photographs the big hearings that draw the community. It’s another chance to bring local people into the frame, along with the animals, plants and scenes of Flagstaff. For the collection photographs, Breed took what he estimates to be around 40,000 images and winnowed it down to a 4,000-best-of list. From there, he drew 400 images for us to consider— all of which are ultimately about the power of moment and place. july-august16 namlm.com
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