ABOUT THE AUTHOR / BOOK

By Daniel Way

A native of Glens Falls, I have been practicing Family Medicine in the southeastern quadrant of the Adirondack Park for the past twenty three years, primarily out of North Creek and Indian Lake . When I began working for Hudson Headwaters Health Network in 1981, I realized two dreams at once- the opportunity to both practice rural medicine in and photograph the Adirondacks. For the past 41 years I have been pursuing my passion for color photography, and have had some success in recent years with my medium-format photography of Adirondack landscapes and people.

Since 1987 I have been photographing my patients, primarily the adult residents of the Adirondacks that I have come to know on very personal terms. They are from all walks of life and every socioeconomic level, but they are all my patients. I have been able to recruit these people for this project on the basis of the strength of our mutual trust and respect, something a professional photographer could never accomplish. Furthermore, I have written detailed vignettes about each person, which allows the reader to learn a great deal about the subjects in each photograph. Some stories are funny, some are sad, some are astonishing, but all of them are true and real.

I have displayed many of these portraits, which I took in the patients’ own environments without artificial light, in galleries such as the Arts Center in Old Forge, Adirondack Lakes Center for the Arts in Blue Mountain Lake, the Abanakee Studio in Indian Lake, the Owens House Gallery in North Creek, The Kirkland Arts Center in Clinton New York as well as the Lapham Gallery in Glens Falls, the Saratoga County Arts Center in Saratoga Springs, the Chapman Historical Museum in Glens Falls, the Wesley in Saratoga Springs, and most recently, the Tannery Pond Community Center in North Creek.

In recent shows I have tried to mingle my landscapes among the portraits, as the landscapes serve to illustrate the natural environment in which I practice medicine and where these patients live. The response to this technique has been so positive that I have put a collection together in a book, which I have entitled All In A Day’s Work; Scenes and Stories From an Adirondack Medical Practice. Its appeal transcends the usual niches of landscape and portrait photography, beyond the Adirondacks themselves, and the medical field, to encompass the universal appeal of the human condition itself. Within the pages of All In A Day’s Work are images and stories that evoke every emotion and feeling. The detail of the text and photographs, as well as the juxtaposition of landscapes with portraits draws the reader into the book so completely that you will feel drawn into this world. The introductory text includes autobiographical information as well as essays about the different challenges of photographing landscapes and patients and why my photography helps me to cope with the stress of a modern medical practice. It will give the reader a level of understanding of what it has been like for me to pursue a busy full-time rural Adirondack medical practice, while also photographing it, in an intimate and personal way. I hope you will see for yourself!

Here are two reviews of the book:

            “An Outstanding Book!, December 22, 2004

As an allied health care provider (EMS) I cannot praise this book enough. Daniel Way is a truly remarkable physician in an age where medicine as an art form and calling has become a business and patients are easily lost in the system as only a diagnosis or case number. As someone who sees the depersonalization of the medical practice every day and the endless referrals, Dr Way genuinely cares for his patients. Some of his vignettes are humorous, some are inspiring, and some display the raw cruelty of life and death. Dr Way has a special gift in his writing that makes you feel as if you actually know the patient at the end of the biography. While reading this book I could almost sense the sights, emotion, and even the smell of where he was. As someone who has hiked, paddled, and biked all over the Adirondacks of New York State, this book’s setting was all the more relative to me. This book should be mandatory reading for anyone that chooses to become a healthcare provider as it is a constant reminder as to what and who we chose our professions for. The medical community needs more people like Dr Way.     ---Matthew A. Phelps,  EMT – Critical Care”

“An emotionally moving portrait of land, October 12, 2004

All in a Day’s Work: Scenes and Stories from an Adirondack Medical Practice presents the ruminations of an experienced medical doctor whose home visits amid the Adirondacks allowed him to take in the beautiful scenery, capture photographs, and bring help to people who needed it, especially in a part of the nation with a high population of senior citizens. Full-color photographs illustrate every page, and the down-to-earth narrative text describes not only the beauty and majesty of the scenery, but also vignettes from the lives of  patients, some stories uplifting, some heartbreaking. An emotionally moving portrait of the land and the people who call it home.   --- Midwest Book Review, Oregon WI”

The book has been co-published by Syracuse University Press and the North Creek Railway Depot Preservation Association in June of 2004 in a limited first edition of 1500 copies. It was awarded the Best Book of Photography Award by the Adirondack Center for Writing in June of 2006.  You can purchase it by emailing me at dan@danielway.com using the "contact the author" page of this website. The price is $49.95 plus $3.00 for shipping and handling.  Residents of New York please also add $3.50 NYS sales tax.  By puchasing it from this website, you will recieve a signed copy, which I will inscribe  with any message you wish (or let me surprise you!) If you use Paypal, you may use my Paypal email address which is jopaman@hotmail.com .

I have been also been privileged to have one of my favorite landscape photographs chosen for the cover of The Adirondack Atlas by Jerry Jenkins and Andy Keal. It is a co-publication of the Adirondack Museum and Syracuse University Press which was also published in June 2004. It can be purchased at http://www.adirondackmuseum.org/store/index.shtml.

Those interested in my photographs can also contact me to purchase individual prints of my photographs by sending an email to dan@danielway.com

I also have a CD-ROM collection of Seneca Ray Stoddard images for sale. The stereoviews, albumen prints, books, post cards and maps bring the Adirondacks of the 1870’s back to life in a way that has been an inspiration to me for many years. Each $25 CD-ROM contains over 825 jpeg images of hotels, guides, camp scenes, and landscapes that will take your breath away! You can order the CD from me via email as well. Personal checks, money orders and Paypal are preferred methods of payment.

Thank you for visiting my website. Emails for orders, inquiries and feedback are welcome! Again, please use my professional web address http://www.hhhn.org for medical issues.

Daniel Way MD