Making Millions of Photos and New Friends All Over The World!
This weekend, we shared in something very special: over 1,100 walks all over the world, from Tusla to Oxford, Jakarta to Tehran, from Pakistan to the Philippines, from Finland to Malta, and from Qatar to Denmark—all coming together as one big community to share our passion for photography and people. What an amazing day!
I know it’s our fourth year now, but I’m still amazed by the whole thing. One of my favorite parts happens after I return from leading my walk (this year, in downtown Tampa, Florida), when I get to sit back and watch all the reports and photos streaming in from every part every corner of the globe. It still just simply boggles my mind, and puts a huge smile on my face to know that we all shared in something really special this weekend. Millions of photos were made that never would have been made otherwise, and lots of new friends were made along the way, which is what it’s really all about.
A Few of My Shots
It’s tough getting into “the zone” when you’re a walk leader, and I’m especially bad at it because I want to talk to everybody in our group, and I wind up spending most of my time chatting instead shooting (but that’s half the fun, right?). There is some cool architecture in Downtown Tampa so I thought I’d share a few of my favorites (Downtown on a Saturday in Tampa is pretty empty, so I’m glad at least we had some buildings to shoot). Nothing great but here’s a few I at least kinda like:
The Perfect Ending Spot
For our ending spot, we basically took over a Five Guys Burgers restaurant in Downtown, Tampa, and it was a perfect place to unwind after our walk. Lots of laughing, sharing photos (it looked like everybody had an iPad), and the burgers were….well….outstanding!!!!
Send Me Your Group Shots and Video Links
Tomorrow I’ll be posting lots of group shots and videos from all around the world, so if you haven’t already sent me your group shot (or video link), just post it here on the blog, and I’ll download the image and post it tomorrow.
Link to the Group flickr Pool
Want to see some of the amazing photos pouring in from all over the world? Check out the flickr group pool right here. (Also, if you were a part of walk, don’t forget to post some of your shots to your local flickr group page). 
On Twitter search for the Hashtag #WWPW
A lot of folks were Tweeting and uploading images live during their walks, and it is so exciting and just plain fascinating to see all the comments and images posted during these live photo walks from every corner of the globe. To see all these comments, just go to Twitter, and up top in the search field type in #WWPW
- My thanks to everyone who attended my walk in Downtown Tampa, and who participated in other walks around the world. I always have a lot of fun during these walks, and I hope you did, too!
- A big, big thanks to all the volunteers who organized and led walks around the world (We couldn’t have done it without you). .
- Also, a thanks to my book Publisher Peachpit Press, for their major support of this event, and to all the sponsors who pitched in to make this a very special day for photographers around the globe.
Tomorrow I’m sharing something different
I’m going to share a more personal side of my walk, along with stories and photos. Nothing heavy. Just fun. But I’m looking forward to sharing it with you, which is what these walks are all about. People and pictures, and fun. See you then.