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David’s remarkable talent as a photographer is matched by his ability to communicate as a teacher, and his unbridled enthusiasm to share information.
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Vagabond Vistas
The Story of Vagabond Vistas
The Early Days: A few years ago, after a lengthy sabbatical from his corporate career that included travels in no less than 25 countries spanning five continents, Vagabond Vistas Photo Tours founder and Chief Creative Nomad, David Simchock, had a dream. Gone were the days of 9 to 5 (or more) reporting to his office cubicle. In came the idea to make a career out of his world travels. And, in March 2003, in a basement in Trenton, New Jersey, Vagabond Vistas Photography was born. Within a matter of months, David and his creative wanderlust were on the map with front page credits in major publications such as the Washington Post and the New York Times.
The Evolution: Initially established as a photography “service” provider, it wasn’t long before David was asked to teach the craft to aspiring artists in his community. His early days as a photography instructor revealed a hidden passion that rivaled his desire to explore the planet: David discovered that he loved to share his knowledge of photography as much as he loved to practice it. As a result, Vagabond Vistas evolved into a “photography instruction” venture, and became renowned in the region for providing top-quality workshops, photo tours, and private instruction. This transformation of Vagabond Vistas was a clear signal to David to dedicate the business to photography instruction, leading him to spin off his photography “services” into the company that now bears his name, David Simchock Photography.
Moving South to Asheville: Not long after this exciting development, in early 2011, David and his partner, Beth, decided to move their lives and livelihoods to Asheville, North Carolina, surrounding themselves with the natural beauty of the Blue Ridge Mountains, not to mention the now-famous art culture of Asheville’s River Arts District (where David operates a studio / gallery). Asheville’s infectious energy inspired David to further hone his teaching style into the “holistic” approach that he now incorporates into everything he does.
The Evolution Continues: Though the move south required that David leave a lot of his friends and Vagabond Vistas clients behind in the Northeast, it also provided an opportunity to, once again, evolve the business into what is now its current form: Vagabond Vistas Photo Tours – A full-service photography tour company – Asheville’s only tour company dedicated totally to educational photo tours and workshops.
Remembering His Roots: But, the story doesn’t end there… Though happily based in Asheville, and very active with photo tours in and around the city, Vagabond Vistas Photo Tours is casting its net of inspiration far beyond the Appalachian Mountains. David is committed to maintaining a presence in the Northeast with occasional photo tour events in his old stomping grounds of Philadelphia, New York City, Princeton, NJ and Bucks County, PA.
Domestic Expansion: David also anticipates that Vagabond Vistas Photo Tours will develop its brand around North America, with itineraries being planned in popular destinations like Montreal (for Jazz Fest), New Orleans, San Francisco, Chicago, Savannah, Washington, D.C., the Southwest, and Sanibel Island, FL. David aspires to bring into the mix a network of equally-passionate photographers / instructors around the country, if not the world. (Please contact David if you are interested in joining the Vagabond Vistas Photo Tours team.)
Creative Vagabonding Abroad: True to his vagabond heritage, David and Vagabond Vistas are expanding their reach far beyond the shores of the US of A with multi-day photo tours planned throughout the world. Vagabond Vistas has already formed an alliance with Asheville-based Italy / Southern Europe tour specialist, Private Italy Tours Ltd, with an exciting itinerary being offered in 2013 in Venice. For multi-day events in South America (specifically, Ecuador), Vagabond Vistas is partnered with tour specialist, Amazon Andes Sky, with their inaugural itinerary taking in the Andes Mountains in August 2013.
Vagabond Vistas Photo Tours – The Future: Awe-inspiring tours in Italy and Ecuador are only the beginning of Vagabond Vistas’ ultimate growth, as we soon cast our net of inspiration further across Europe (Greece, Spain and France) and Latin America (Peru and Costa Rica), Asia (Thailand, Vietnam and Bhutan), North Africa (Morocco), and the South Pacific (New Zealand and Australia). We are seeking reputable tour specialists throughout the world to establish lasting partnerships to build the Vagabond Vistas Photo Tours brand into a global enterprise, sharing the gift of creativity, and passion for cultural exploration, throughout the world.