The Art of Misadventure: The Outtakes and Mistakes Of An Adventurous Photographer by Dave Brosha

“Join Canadian photographer, explorer, Fellow of the Royal Canadian Geographical Society, father, and writer Dave Brosha as he lays out a touching recollection of a life off the beaten track with a dash of adventure, a dash of determination, a dash of humour, a dash of self-deprecation, and two dashes of ridiculous.”

When I get my hands on a photographer’s memoir, I invariably feel I’m in for a treat. A fellow artist who embraces multimedia in sharing their story. Or in this case, stories. As a reader, you can’t help but experience a greater depth of engagement, connection with sights, scenes and senses. In The Art of Misadventure, award-winning photographer Dave Brosha does indeed share photos, but perhaps more importantly steps from behind the lens to relay an array of true tales from his life as an all-round adventurous guy with a seemingly remarkable track record for nasty occurrences befalling him.

“This is not a how-to guide, a proclamation of the virtues of being misguided, or an extolment. I’m not advocating for anything in particular, even as I share many specific words. These are simply misadventures, both in the world of outdoor adventure … as well as in everyday life. This is a collection of stories, recounting—simply—what was. Why? Because shared stories are found treasures—and we could all use a little more wealth.”

Many serious, full-time shutterbugs I know treat the camera as a kind of social forcefield, observing the world from a distance in lieu of leaping in, being present, and taking an active role in the space they work so hard to capture in still images. Which is what makes Dave Brosha’s The Art of Misadventure, a photographer’s prose and collection of intimate shares, so refreshing. The imagined force field dissolves as tech’s set aside, leaving us with a stripped-down, honest recounting of personal experience.

Dave Brosha has had exhibitions of his work in the Northwest Territories and elsewhere in Canada as well as in the United States, the United Kingdom, Spain, and Germany. His images have appeared in Photo Life, Practical Photography, Canadian Geographic, Maclean’s, The Independent (UK), The Globe and Mail, The Sunday Telegraph, China News, The Guardian, Tehran Times, Montreal Gazette, Outdoor Photographer and many more. He and his family live in St. Ann, Prince Edward Island.

Title: The Art of Misadventure: The Outtakes and Mistakes Of An Adventurous Photographer
Author: Dave Brosha
Publisher: Rocky Mountain Books, 2022
ISBN: 9781771604635
Pgs: 264

Bill Arnott

Website

Bill Arnott is the bestselling author of A Season on Vancouver Island, theGone Viking travelogues, andA Perfect Day for a Walk: The History, Cultures, and Communities of Vancouver, on Foot(Arsenal Pulp Press, Fall 2024). Recipient of a Fellowship at London’s Royal Geographical Society for his expeditions, Bill’s a frequent presenter and contributor to magazines, universities, podcasts, TV and radio. When not trekking with a small pack and journal, Bill can be found on Canada’s west coast, where he lives near the sea on Musqueam, Squamish, and Tsleil-Waututh land.