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 ten 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).

Ten years ago, I woke up 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 lead 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 just 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 10 years … alone… looking for scenes worth stopping for, to photograph. 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!

My Photos Are For Sale

I sell some of my photography online at the following sites.