Photography

When I first saw iscriblr’s “Freedom of Expression: Photograph” Challenge, I was moved by the quotes and images she shared to represent what photography meant to hear. It resonated.

I was quick to respond though with a fun and silly haiku. Partly because my mood at the time was not introspective or serious and partly because photography is fun and silly and can be very lighthearted.

After thinking on it overnight though, I have a bit more to say on the topic. I picked up the camera nine months ago. I’d always been interested in taking pictures and I LOVED looking at others’ images. Mostly I wanted to learn to how to take pretty pictures of my horses.

I didn’t realize that I was beginning a journey of passion. I didn’t know that, much like horses & horsemanship, this path has no end in what I can learn, the new experiences it would open to me and the personal growth it could lead to.

This is one of the first images I took with my DSLR camera

I think more than anything for me, photography has opened the door to awareness. I see things I didn’t used to even though they were always there. Color, light, environments and the things in them, living or non are so much more a part of my daily perspective whether the camera is in my hand or not.

I use the image above as the perfect illustration of what I’m talking about. Sitting out on the deck one evening as the sun was going down I noticed a spider web in the tree, owner hanging out in the center and the light filtering through the leaves in just an oh so perfect way to reflect and shine against the silk woven among the branches. It was brilliant. And was only going to last for a few minutes as the sun continued to changed position.

Prior to being a photographer I wouldn’t have noticed any of it. Not the web, the spider and certainly not the light. The oh so beautiful light.