Sometimes I focus more on what I'm not, than on what I am. So today, I decided to focus a bit on who I am, and who I've been.
I've been a photographer for almost 10 years now (seems a lot longer), and in that time, I've photographed everything from fashion, to editorial portraiture, to home interiors for realtors. Most recently however, I've turned to photographing on a macro scale, and have been shooting primarily rocks, minerals, and gems. I've shot video along the way, learned the basics of graphic design, and built every website I've had since I started. The truth is, that like many creatives when something interests me, I go after it, and I try to learn all I can. There is usually a stopping point, a point at which I have to decide how dedicated I want to be, because the time sacrifice becomes too great.
Photo Credit: James Patrick Photography
Photography, of all those interests, has been the one thing that has been able to keep my interest over the course of time. The time sacrifice, the self reflection that comes with trying to master anything, and even the plateaus, have all been worth it. Photography has not only given me a path in life, but also changed me as a person. Most notable, it has changed how I view the world around me on a day to day basis.
When you train in photography, you not only train in techniques, but you train in vision. The most important skill for a photographer is to be able to 'see'. 'Seeing' composition, seeing contrasts, seeing moments, seeing the photo. The ability to 'see' images becomes crucial for a photographer, and is a skill that ones builds after years looking through a lens.
However it's not how seeing photos through the lens has enriched me. It's that when you start to see composition, contrasts, and possibilities, you see them everyday. You see them on your walks, you see them from the window of the car, and you see them when the light plays on the carpet right before sunset. You notice the textures of the world, and how light enriches or hides them all, and how color of the world around you changes during twilight.
The world I 'see' today is a much different place than the world I saw before I ever picked up a camera. It is full of nuance, and infinite potential. It feels like a gift, like an insight that not everybody gets, but that everyone can access.
I look forward to the future, to how I will view the world 10, 20, and hopefully 50 years for now, but it's important to note how I see the world today, and how photography has given me a specific point of view that I can never lose.
*All photos and prints in this blog post are from a trip to Greer, AZ, taken on the same day within an hour of each other.