Jeff Day | Runtographer
Somebody told me,
"Find three hobbies that you love:one to keep you in shape. one to keep you creative. and one to make you money."
But who has time for three hobbies?
So I rolled that into one…
Notable Things
In November 2022 I was selected as an in-person artist for MLA Rachel Notley's annual art show for visual and performing artists — Art from the Unknown .
My images have been featured in Alberta Views Magazine fairly frequently.
The July 2020 issue featured a photo essay titled “Pandemicton” which captured Edmonton’s streets during Covid.
The AV magazine also purchased my images for the December 2022 issue and the March 2023 issue.
In May 2020 I was presented with a formal commendation for my running and photography, during the pandemic, by Strathcona Federal MP Heather McPherson.
In 2023, Earl’s Kitchen + Bar purchased an image of mine and it hangs in the restaurant on 170 Street in Edmonton’s west end. I always sit below it when I go there.
I was bitten by three dogs, over 11 years.
I was also chased by a man on a e-scooter with a hockey stick, and slammed into full-bore by a pre-teen chasing a Pokeman (during that craze).
Eleven years ago, I awoke only to realize I was badly out of shape. Like badly. Way too much computer, not enough sunlight and movement. So I started to make some lifestyle changes. My wife cajoled me into trying swimming and that lead me to running. Later that year, in 2013, The Globe and Mail featured my story in their newspaper. I can’t even remember how that came about….Or why my son looked like Danny from The Partridge Family. But it really happened, because I have that link. Ultimately all of this fitness preoccupation led to what I called ‘Runtography’.
Runtography was a term I coined to make my combined photography and outdoor running sound more legitimate and less insane. Runtography was relatively easy too. It only involved me getting up at ungodly hours and slipping into the city, running, while carrying a DSLR weather-sealed camera in backpack … every other day … for 11 years … alone. Totally normal behavior (that no one else in the whole world did). My family even supported this (grudgingly) because that’s how desperate they were for me to have a hobby like other people.
I’ve found that when moving, on foot, you look at the world with attention, often in a state of heightened awareness. So while people most often compliment ‘my eye’, truth be told, oxygen and brain chemicals have had an equal hand in creating what I capture.
Running has taught me that there is a power in experiencing the world at street level, at human speeds. I’ve found that when you interact with your community like that, you become more connected to it. Runtography allows me to carve out time to reflect, grow, to build on my strengths and to give back, by sharing what I’ve seen. It’s the sharing of my images that drives me. I hope that my photos inspire you in some way or just bring you joy.
