Welcome to “Beyond the Frame”! Today, I’m excited to share an interview with Arthur Childs, a seasoned physician and passionate photographer. Arthur talks about how spending time outdoors and capturing beautiful moments through photography has boosted his health and well-being. He also shares insights on starting a YouTube channel  (Youtube @artiedoc) and balancing his medical career with his love for photography and travel

Hey Arthur, could you start by telling us a bit about yourself and your journey as both a physician and a photographer?

I have been an Internal Medicine / Critical Care  physician for going on 39 years now . My training allowed me to practice in a rural community where I was able to care for patients through the continuum of their healthcare needs whether it be preventative care in the office or managing complex illnesses and acute problems in the ICU. In a time when there were no Critical Care trained physicians in my area , I spent a great deal of my time in the hospital, filling a need for the community. With the corporatization of healthcare encroaching on the basic tenets of personalized care around me I started to focus more on healthcare Safety and obtained a Masters ’s Degree in Healthcare Safety and Quality . I changed my office practice to a Patient Centered Medical Home limiting my practice to no more than 250 patients thus being able to provide the type of care that I was trained to provide. The Covid pandemic brought out to me the inadequacies of care and safety brought on by administrators whose goals were contradictory to basic science and the standards I was trained in . I became frustrated and eventually moved my practice to a solely office-based practice . With the extra time on my hands and in the midst of the Pandemic, I decided to venture out and travel to the far-off places that had always caught my interest but never had the time to pursue. We planned a trip to Africa, and I decided to resurrect a love for photography that had been a lifelong passion but that I never seriously studied . With a new Nikon Mirrorless camera in hand and old go pro I had for  skiing trips my wife and I ventured through five African countries and I was hooked … Being in a continent where I was immersed in Nature , up close to wild animals and the diversity of species and learning from photographic guides in order to improve my techniques provided me a thirst  for knowledge to learn everything I could about this amazing craft …. 

2. Having spent nearly a lifetime as a physician, can you share your thoughts on the connection between spending time outdoors, photography, travel, and improved health (both mental and physical)? 

I have been reading a lot lately about the Power of AWE and its affect on the Human Brain. Immersing oneself in Nature has been scientifically proven to change ones brain chemistry resulting in increased well being ( emotional social and psychological), reduce Stress , Anxiety Depression and even help victims of PTSD .. Its my theory that we can extrapolate these scientific findings to the simple action of capturing an awe inspiring scene from behind the Lens as well as what happens to the viewer who is unable to be in that situation but can experience it through photography or videography. 

3. How has photography played a role in your personal well-being? 

I believe everyone should have some form of hobby that they are passionate about. While I love my profession and having the privilege of caring for patients and being part of their lives,  photography has provided a spark in a time in my life where I needed a change, a respite from the experiences of caring for patients during the pandemic that quite literally resurfaced a form of PTSD that I had experienced during my training as a resident during the HIV pandemic so many years ago . Photography has filled that void and dramatically improved my sense of well being and my outlook on life … 

4. Many of our readers have seen your travel and landscape photos on Instagram, but not everyone knows about your YouTube channel. What inspired you to start it, and what are your videos about? 

I have external hard drives filled with video footage from my travels that not only haven’t I edited but never had the time to view most of it myself. Many of my photographic instructors and now friends have YouTube channels that have inspired me over the years and taught me a lot about photography and travel. After my Antarctica trip I felt I should do something with this footage and incorporate my still photos as well in a narrative that explains my theory on the healing powers of photography and nature and as well showcase my work thus intersecting both of my passions for medicine  and photography. Whether anyone watches or if it is any good I don’t know, but I’ve been having a blast going through the footage and editing it and if no one watches at least I will have left a legacy of my thoughts and travels for my Grandkids to hopefully inspire them some day …. 

5. What are your thoughts and experiences regarding sharing content on YouTube?

 YouTube is hard. If you are interested in reach and subscribers, you are battling an algorithm that doesn’t necessarily promote the small content providers. You need to find a nitch and know what your specific audience is looking for, and even then, getting viewers to watch long-form content is hard in this day of two-second scrolling and the massive information/content deluge we all live in . That said, Instagram and Facebook do not allow for the longer content-oriented videos and material I like to showcase. I'm still new to this platform, and I am learning every day, so it will be fun to see where this goes … 

6. Did you have any prior experience in video editing and filmmaking before you started your YouTube channel? 

With six children, I have always been the go-to person in my family for photos and videos. I have had a great deal of fun over the years creating video montages for special events such as Bar Mitzvahs, Weddings, and other special events. I knew I was successful if I made my relatives cry and laugh during the presentation. For years, I worked with I-movie, but more recently, I have been using Final Cut Pro …. 

7. Do you have any tips for someone who is thinking about getting into video, storytelling techniques, gear, etc.?

All I can say is it is a lot of work and is very time consuming . Only do it if you love it. You must love the editing process, and with time and practice, you will get better and better at it . For me, it is a passion, and I can spend hours sitting and editing, but I’m not doing this for a living, and if at any point I ever get to monetize ,all proceeds will be going to my wife’s Charity: HopeMusicFest which supports local patients living with Cancer . 

8. As most of us who follow you on Instagram know, you are an avid traveller, and I have really enjoyed your photos from Antarctica. Can you share some highlights and memorable experiences from your trip there? 

Antarctica was a dream come true. It has been on my Bucket list for over 30 years. And despite the years of anticipation and hype, it certainly lived up to and exceeded all expectations. I have tried with my photography and YouTube videos to give a feel of what it was like to be in such a pristine, vast and enormous place, but nothing does it justice … Whenever I could, I would try to include something man-made ( as hard is that is to find in Antarctica) to give some perspective on depth and size but once again it is otherworldly. I have to say the penguins clearly stole the show for me and while the landscapes were truly some of the most magnificent settings they were so vast and huge that many of the professional landscape photographers I was with were having a very difficult time with compositions . If there was any place where panorama shots rule, it’s Antarctica. The other thing I learned was that most of the time, we would be shooting on a moving vehicle ie the ship or zodiacs or would be trying to capture  moving wildlife so we had to maintain fast shutter speeds over 1/2000 sec at all times so in low light conditions you has to make sure to go with really high ISO’s for proper exposure. However with todays mirrorless cameras and post production software that does not seem to be a problem. I’m pretty used to shooting ISO’s of over 8000 in astrophotogarphy so Im pretty comfortable but many on our trip were not 

9. Was your Antarctica trip part of a photography workshop? How was your experience participating, how was the trip organized, and is it something you would recommend? 

Yes, I had planned this two and a half years prior when I heard that Nigel Danson and Mads Peter Iversen were planning this. Ultimately, we had 90 photographers with 8 instructors: Nigel, Mads, James Popsys, Rachel Bigsby, Adam Gibbs , Rick Bebbington, Jeroen Van Nieuwenhove and Dani Connor. We, unfortunately, as well as the entire photographic community, lost Astro photographer Alyn Wallace, who tragically died right before the trip . The amazing thing was that all of these photographers had markedly different photography styles, from Landscapes to wildlife and cityscapes, with totally different views and approaches to editing, which I enjoyed. I learned that there is no one way to shoot, capture, or present an image. And the only good image is the one you like …. 

10. What are your goals and expectations for your upcoming photography trip to Svalbard? Can you tell us a bit about this trip, who you're going with, and your plans and expectations? 

I believe Svalbard will be very similar from a photographic standpoint to Antarctica. We will be in the same or almost the same boat with the same company ( Aurora Expeditions). This trip however will be with a much smaller group with only four instructors Mads, Nigel and James whom I know very well and I believe less than thirty participants which should make things a little less hectic. I believe Jack Lodge, who is a fantastic landscape photographer, will be there as well.  I have made a few changes to what I am bringing. I ruptured a lumbar disc and have been dealing with something. Many photographers who lug heavy camera equipment have that being back problems, so I decided to forgo my beloved Nya Eve 60 L backpack and have switched to a wheeled pelican case for my gear on the plane and a small 18-litre Nomatic camera bag. I will probably only be bringing two lenses, my trusty Nikon 180-600mm and 5.6 and  24-120 mm 4.0, with two bodies, my Z9 and Zf …. I’ll be using an Insta 360 X 4 for the video, which will allow me to concentrate more on my still shots since I won’t have to worry about aiming since the 360 can be edited so easily in post. There will not be any penguins in the Arctic. Still, Polar bears will hopefully be accessible to capture, at least for now, which may be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity considering the ill effects on the bear population with climate change …. The best piece of gear I have is my Cotton Carrier which allows me literally to have two cameras on me at all times with my hands free and no back pack I love the system and highly recommend it. 

11. How do you prepare for these photography expeditions, both technically and creatively? 

I usually spend a great deal of time researching the area I am going to whether that be maps, novels , etc . For Antarctica I spent a great deal of time reading about the Shackleton Expeditions , wildlife books re penguins and the science of ice …. For Svalbard and Greenland ( coming in September ) I want to spend more time on delving more into the science of climate change and how it affects the wildlife of the arctic. It’s also important in wildlife photography to learn the specific rituals and common movements, activities, and response to predators , prey , mating, and feeding habits since much of what you need for a “ good shot “ is to be able to anticipate what the wildlife will be doing , how it will behave and respond in the wild so you can plan the shot before it happens . But most of all I try not to plan too much, but just let the world around me play out and just be prepared to hit the shutter . And most important don’t forget to take  time out  every now and then to put the camera down and  totally enjoy and immerse yourself in the moment. 

12. What are your long-term goals for your photography and YouTube channel, and do you have any exciting travel plans for the future? 

I’d like to keep traveling and learning for as long as I am physically able to do so. I am what one might call an eclectic photographer . I do not have one style or specialty and I am always exploring new methods and types of photographic techniques. This year has been devoted to the polar regions and after Svalbard I will be going to West Greenland where I am looking forward to doing more Drone photography and later in the fall back to Iceland to capture my favorite mountain Vestrahorn hopefully capturing it with the Northern lights and if still spewing lava another chance to capture the amazing forces of an active Volcano… I love learning from much more gifted and learned photographers than myself which just makes my work even better . While I now have the experience and comfort level to plan photographic trips on my own I love the camaraderie and sharing of ideas and viewpoints that a workshop provides … Ideally I would love to be able to sell more prints on my website  and maybe even get to a point where I could monetize on YouTube so that I can help my wife’s charity more but as I’ve said before I am not in this for my living or money but it is what provides the joy I experience in life…. 

Arthur's journey is a testament to the healing power of nature and the joy of pursuing a creative passion. Whether it's through capturing awe-inspiring scenes or sharing his experiences on YouTube, Arthur continues to inspire us all to find balance and happiness through our hobbies. If you want to follow Arthur on YouTube, Instagram or make a donation to Arthurs's wife's charity, use the links below

Youtube:

https://www.youtube.com/@artiedoc/featured

Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/artiedoc/

HopeMusicFest: https://www.drarthurchildsmedicalhome.com/general-1

Thank you for joining us in this insightful conversation. If you enjoyed this interview, please subscribe to "Beyond the Frame" for more inspiring stories, photography tips, and creative insights. Don't forget to share your thoughts and experiences in the comments below. Until next time, take care, go outside and stay creative!