Words by Stephen DesRoches
Feature image by Paul Zizka
My introduction to OFFBEAT began in a hotel room in Whitehorse, Yukon, after a workshop in Kluane National Park and Reserve. It was from this hotel room that Dave Brosha and Paul Zizka launched and announced the first version of the OFFBEAT website to the world – the beginnings of a community of photographers geared towards pushing each other further.
I’m a huge music buff and one of my favourite bands is a band that is no stranger to Canadians: The Tragically Hip. The Tragically Hip have many brilliant songs with many brilliant lyrics, but one of my favourite lyrics from the song “Ahead By A Century” has this little lyrical gem:
“No dress rehearsal, this is our life.”
The sentiment of this line – that you only live once, so make the bloody most of it – is what drives me not only as an artist but as a human being as well.
OFFBEAT is excited to bring new partners on board to offer our Community Members added value to their membership. Our photo community is all about providing the support you need to take your craft to the next level, and we believe that having a few extra tools to help you get there can go a long way.
In our OFFBEAT Community, we post a variety of content – from educational resources for all genres of photography, to tips, opportunities for critique, and photo challenges for our members. This is just a sample from our content that usually gets posted ‘behind the scenes’ in our private online community. Curious about joining? Check out all the details and benefits here.
I have no doubt that a lot of us will fly this year, and most of the time it’ll be on a plane, going from A to B, rather than on a pricey heli-tour. While a bird’s-eye view provides interesting photographic opportunities, if you have ever tried to take photos from a plane you’ll know that an in-flight photo session can be quite challenging.
OFFBEAT Co-founder, Paul Zizka, recently posted a gallery of images from the Torngat Mountains. We’re thrilled to be taking a crew of enthusiastic photographers to this incredible region of Eastern Canada next year! Bring on the wild landscape and photographic potential.
Wow. So, here we are.
Today is the day that OFFBEAT launches.
OFFBEAT – an idea that both Paul and I have been talking about for over a year. An idea that we’re finally putting “out there” to the wind, and the world, to see if it will take flight.
OFFBEAT came out of us talking about building a community of like-minded people. We have so many passionate, amazing people who have attended our workshops, or that we’ve met on or offline over the past number of years who we feel truly connected to. People who share our love of creating, our love of the world around us, and share in the belief that you can only raise everybody up by having a positive, sharing, compassionate outlook on life, and by default, photography.
OFFBEAT is all about tapping into that spirit of adventure and keeping life exciting by venturing off-the-beaten-track. Founders Dave Brosha and Paul Zizka have designed photography workshops that help you explore new frontiers in your photography and new corners of the globe.
The first two stops, Greenland Grandeur and Nights of Wonder: Faroe Islands, are prime examples of the far-flung destinations we’ll be exploring. From bobbing icebergs and dancing auroras of Greenland to the seaside cliffs and fjordland of the Faroes, these workshops will help participants reconnect with the wilderness and their creative side. These first two workshops are already sold out, but keep your eyes out for more great stops.
What is this new online photo community all about? The main goal for OFFBEAT is simple: to create the most supportive, relatable, helpful, engaging photo community out there!
For many years, the OFFBEAT Team has been involved in many aspects of the photography industry, including other online communities. We have greatly benefited from being involved in other web-based platforms – so much so that we wanted to create a platform for others where we could put our own twist on the things we love the most!
