HOW CANCER SET ME FREE

BY

GLENN STURM

 

My mom gave me a camera for my 5th birthday while we were living in Berlin, Germany. We were getting ready to take a trip around Europe and my mom wanted me to take “some” pictures to save the memories. As a result of this insightful gift, I have continuously carried a camera with me since that day in kindergarten.

 

Over the years the numbers of cameras that I carried in my pack expanded.  I traveled around the world and couldn’t imagine missing an image. I have hiked and climbed on every continent except Antarctica. I am routinely asked why my pack is so big or heavy.  The reason is simple I carry too many cameras and lenses. I have been blessed during my life to see many images that I thought were memorable or have remained special in my heart.  I believe that I am privileged by seeing and capturing those images that resonated with me.  I have always treasured the images I’ve taken, but up until 2009, I rarely shared these images with others.  I have been told by others and agree with them that it is now time to share my images.

 

On January 21, 2009, I received a phone call from my doctor.  She told me that the biopsy results had come back positive for lymphoma and that I needed to start chemo as soon as possible. Over the next few months, I had to make decisions about what I would do with my life.  I chose to continue to hike, climb and see some of the most beautiful places in the world.  I decided that I would not let cancer define me.

 

For the past 13+ years I have pursued those goals.  During that period, I have been treated with continuous chemo, both oral daily chemo and IV chemo.  The IV is now administered approximately every 4 weeks.  Sometimes I have to make decisions about scheduling conflicts.  It’s simple if I have to make a choice between shooting something important, like an eclipse, or getting the IV, the IV waits.   

 

About six years ago I met Brittany Lunsford Kurz.  She was a production artist at a local photography shop.  It was one of the most important events in my professional life.  She is a fantastic production artist and extremely talented photographer.  Shortly after her daughter’s birth she left the photography shop and we have been working together ever since.   During our time working together we have both developed skills that weren’t there before we met.  Brittany is a friend, educator and wonderful teammate.  We share a creative streak that is necessary to create astrophotography.

 

My original work focused on wildlife and landscapes. However, in early 2014 I learned that totality from the 2017 Great American Eclipse would be centered over my house in Wyoming. Brittany agreed to the project to work with me on the project.  Shooting an Eclipse is very different than shooting wildlife or landscapes.  Finding a unique and unreplicable foreground is the art of this type of photography.  So we spent most of the next few years identifying locations and focusing on developing technical and creative skills.  We studied maps and I hiked all over the Tetons looking for the best location to shoot the eclipse.

 

The 2017 Eclipse was a wonderful experience. As the Jackson Eclipse shoot ended Brittany asked me a trick question.  She asked if I wanted to shoot another Eclipse on my birthday and in the Patagonia portion of Argentina, one of my favorite places in the world.  Because of the fun I had shooting the eclipse in Jackson I have become a committed umbraphile. 

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So far, we have shot eclipses in the United States and Chile.  The collection that you will see today includes composite images of the last two eclipses.  Our first book on eclipses and how to shoot eclipses is due for publication next March (weather and Covid-19 permitting).  The last eclipse for the book will be shot in Argentina this December. I believe you will enjoy the eclipse images that are presented today.

 

Most of my photography is located in hospitals, major religious landmarks and scientific institutions.  I normally only sell one copy of any of my images. I retain an artist’s proof and sometimes we provide a printer’s proof to Brittany.  Historically, all of the gross proceeds from virtually all of the sales of the images have gone to either children’s health or toward children's technical art education skills.

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Starting my 14th year on chemo I am still able to celebrate life through my photography.  My doctors have repeatedly told me that since I have focused on photography, I am healthier and that I would not have lived my wonderful life without the lessons that this medium has taught me. 

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Brittany Lunsford Kurz

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Brittany Lunsford Kurz is a life-long resident and native of Atlanta, Georgia. She discovered an interest in art and photography as a child and received her first camera at age eight. From that moment, she wanted to be a photographer and took every opportunity she could to learn about the medium. Her introduction to Adobe Photoshop came in 1998. After serving as her high school's yearbook photographer 1999-2000, Brittany entered Georgia State University in 2000 as a journalist major and soon discovered their art school's photography program. In 2001, she officially began working as a professional photographer, and in 2006, she graduated from Georgia State University's newly-renamed Ernest G. Welch School of Art and Design with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree with concentration in fine art photography.

Brittany has worked as a post-production artist since 2006 and was the in-house retouching and art-reproduction expert at Professional Photo Resources, Inc's lab, PPRpix, from 2012 to 2016. While at PPRpix, Brittany met Glenn Sturm. He walked into the shop with his large illuminum (aluminum print) of Mount Moran, produced by Merry at Blazing Editions and introduced himself.  He shared his story and asked Brittany to work with and enhance the image, and from that moment on Brittany and Glenn have worked together on his photography.

In 2016, Brittany's first daughter, Kahlan River Kurz, came into the world. No longer able to work her schedule at PPRpix, Brittany jumped at Glenn's offer to hire her as his personal post-production artist and began working with him on plans for photographing the 2017 eclipse. Brittany's husband Kevin and their daughter Kahlan got in on the act as they all traveled to Jackson, Wyoming, to scout locations and prepare for the big eclipse day shoot! Seeing Glenn's glee from the 2017 eclipse experience, Brittany decided to tempt him with locations and statistics on upcoming eclipses around the world. He took the bait, and the rest is history!

 

Brittany's husband of fourteen years, Kevin Kurz, too, has a background in photography and has been a contributing photographer on both the 2017 and 2019 eclipse shoots. Their second daughter, Kara Luna ("beloved moon") Kurz, traveled en utero to the 2019 eclipse in Chile. Raising their kids in and around the arts and sciences is a true life priority. Without Glenn, life would be far less adventurous for the Kurz family. Glenn has been a blessing to know and work alongside and has provided opportunities and experiences they could only previously have dreamed of. The eclipse projects are truly a dream come true and a proud legacy for their family.

 

Glenn, I am honored and blessed to know you as a person and artist. Creating art with you is an absolute joy. Thank you for the person that you are and the opportunities you have provided us. ~Brit

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