Biography For David Hares II
This exhibit is a journey to explore our great country’s National Parks and the places in between. So far my adventures have taken me over 90,000 miles in an attempt to capture the beauty and uniqueness of our country's treasures. These photographs are meant to trigger memories of times you may have spent in these wonderful places, to inspire you to see them again or experience them for the first time. Join me on this journey Exploring America.
Growing up I was fortunate because my dad had time off in the summer allowing us to travel and camp our way across the United States. My family (all 7 of us) would load up the van and our tent camper ready to take off for 6 weeks. We really couldn’t afford a camera for me at that time, so I collected post cards from all the places we explored.
Upon graduating from college, I wanted one more adventure before heading off to the corporate world. With camera and job offer in hand, I explored the Western United States and Canada for 6 weeks. The trip covered 8400 miles, 12 states, 2 provinces in Canada, and 14 National Parks. While in the corporate world my travel adventures continued, but this travel was a lot different because it was only for 1 to 2 weeks at a time - most of it by plane. Being a road warrior, I got to know my travel agent so well that she became my wife. Between the travel agency and over 1.5 million Aadvantage miles we continued to explore the world.
In 2007 our lives suddenly changed; I lost my wife to a stroke. Unexpectedly, my two teenage children and I had to survive as a family. The answer was travel. We took many, many trips together and were able to remain strong as a family. My perspective on life changed drastically; I started to prepare for a life-long dream outside the corporate world... to explore and photograph the National Parks.
While I have always taken pictures, my desire was to become better at the craft. Thankfully, I met Peter Poulides of the Dallas Center for Photography and started to learn from this lifelong, professional photographer. Peter taught me to “Look where people don’t look, see what people don’t see…” Peter took my photography to the next level.
Rejuvenated, I bought a truck camper and was ready to travel, explore and photograph. My plan was to take a three-month sabbatical as soon as my youngest left for college. Just before my daughter graduated, my company was going through layoffs. The path to recreate my post-college trip was clear - I volunteered and established HaresPhotography.com
The first trip from May through November of 2012 covered many of the places from my college trip and added a few more including over 13,000 miles, 12 states, 2 provinces, and 19 National Parks. The exploration has continued and over the past few years I have been able to share portions of my trips with both my son and daughter for weeks at a time. Through my travels, I was fortunate enough to meet a wonderful woman that has now joined me as my wife. The adventure continues…
For your enjoyment, there are many more pictures on my website: HaresPhotography.com
Thank you for coming along on this travel journey with me.
