Douglas Beasley, founder and director of Vision Quest Photo Workshops, is owner and publisher of Shots magazine, a quarterly B&W fine art printed magazine, now in it’s 31st year of publication. His workshops worldwide emphasize heart, soul, and vision over the mechanics of camera use.
After receiving a BFA from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, where he also studied Eastern religions and Native American culture, he worked for several prominent commercial photo studios as a photo and darkroom assistant. Both experiences helped him develop an appreciation for detail and technical proficiency, but left him longing for artistic self-expression.
Beasley then opened his own studio in Minneapolis, Minnesota, emphasizing commercial and editorial fashion. This evolved into shooting photos throughout the country for various advertising, educational, public service, and nonprofit clients. He currently works on fine-art based commercial projects around the world.
Much of his personal work is supported by grants and commissions and is widely exhibited and collected. In 2010, he had a permanent installation on sacred places in North America at the Castillo D’Albertis Cultural Museum in Genoa, Italy.
He has been published internationally and featured in numerous photo magazines such as Zoom, The Sun, B&W, PDN, Shots, and PhotoVision. His first book, Japan: A Nisei’s First Encounter, offers insight into his journey to his mother’s Japanese homeland. His second and most recent book is Earth Meets Spirit.
Beasley's workshops are held at art and cultural centers across the United States and in Ireland, Peru, Italy, Guatemala, Norway, Japan, and China, as well as the Trade River Retreat Center, his cabin and retreat center in Northwest Wisconsin.