why photography ? a photojournal

I'm using 2012 to 'focus' more clearly on what I wish to do with my photography. To start off the year I signed up to a new course. I am going to create a photojournal to record my 'find your eye' journey.

A few of years ago, I was lacking a bit in passion for life & I wanted to have a hobby, something that would take me away from the everyday, something that I could do to get back to being creative again. I always loved to take photos & have heaps of photos I have collected over the years, so I thought Photography would be great. I also chose Photography because my sister was pregnant with her first child & we were planning on having a family soon &  I wanted to be able to capture the precious moments that were to come & create a record of time for them in years to come.

As time has passed over those few years, I have found that I mostly love to capture a couple of things. Everyday stuff, my daughter, my dog, our everyday life. It may have something to do with my poor memory, because they are the moments I find I forget. It's like capturing a piece of my life, a record of my journey, my story. It may also have to do with the fact that I am not a great storyteller, I am kind of quiet, I have a poor memory & I am not the most articulate person. So, as simple as my life may be, it is something that I want to cherish, to remember & to share. The other thing I love to capture is little adventures. I get excited about these the most because it is on these little adventures that I feel free. I never know what I am going to find & I can get totally lost in whatever draws my eye. There is no set destination. I just go where my eye takes me, stopping along the way . At the end of it when I've shot 100's of photos, I feel rejuvenated, in touch with life, with the world around me, with my spirit & it gives me a peace that I can not explain. It is something that I feel. If I had to give it a word. I would call it Passion & it keeps me going until the next adventure arises. i Love it!

When I think about all the things that I am drawn to in Photography it would be these...vibrant colours...contrast & texture against negative space....photos of horizons with lots of sky & a little bit of land...i love candid images of people doing everyday things just enjoying the moment....i love to photograph birds..nature..landscapes & powerlines...i like to document the details of a day.

I love that Photography is so broad. There are so many avenues to take & things to explore. It's journey can span a lifetime & there would still be more to explore, many lifetimes over. At this point in my journey, I have myself a little photoblog, I create greeting cards & prints out of my images & I am participating in a lot of photo projects. I want to 'find my eye' so I can focus more clearly on where I would like to go with photography.

Just reading back over this post,  it's kind of ironic really. I chose photography when I was lacking passion for life & wanted something to take me away from the everyday but in capturing the everyday I found my passion in life & it helped me to renew my passion for life.