Hello people. Thank you for taking some time to read my musings. It's going to be a bit philosophical.
I've been thinking about what I would like to contribute to a blog - what resonates with me, is important to share and without question what would be interesting for you to read !
I could speak in depth about my journey as a photographer , the progress i have made and the direction I am working to take myself and my career. But I realised a while ago that a life as a working creative is a reflection of how that artist sees the world as well as conduit with which to continually communicate and connect with it.
And that helped me understand what I would like to write about - my personal journey and growth. Not the camera equipment I use. Because that adventure has always been about finding ways to express, to belong , to be vulnerable and to love. The scenes i am always drawn to in my compositions.
So. Where to begin ! - Is there a beginning ? There certainly is no end. There are always lessons though. I've learnt one this week. I learnt one last month. That one was about the importance of being grounded and resilient enough to know that two opposing feelings or emotions can exist in the same space , heart and stomach. They both have a place. And a purpose.
Our western culture is so outcome focused. That works fairly well in science, but living a life with solid expectations and absolutes means to miss all the beautiful nuances along the way. Nothing is finite - impermanence is real. So all we really have is a given moment. And any given money can contain a whole multitude of things. Being able to explore and embrace all that uncertainty is the key to finding fulfilment in life.
A state of mind can also accommodate opposing wants or desires. It is ok to desire something we know is not obtainable. You don't have to banish the want - to do that is to deny an emotion and that is not a healthy practice.
What we need to do is reframe expectations and most importantly understand what is driving them. This is choosing to live consciously and is what I've been working hard to do over the last few years.
So what does this have to do with wedding and family photography ?! - I know I said this blog would not necessarily be a standard photographer blog , but it needs to relate in some way otherwise my musings really have no place on this here website !
Well remember when I said an artist's ambition is to communicate and connect with the world through their works ? - that's what I attempt to do in every picture I take. And there is a reason why I love working with people and that's because I believe that humans, by their true nature are loving , compassionate , communal and kind beings. It's the world that bends us into different shapes , makes us hesitant, resentful, fearful and oppressive.
Beauty truly exists within all of us. We just need to continually create opportunities to keep resonating our true selves. And I word it like that because we have to be accountable; be brave and determined. We have to work hard at love and know also that a life without pain is impossible.
I see this beauty everywhere. I see it in the faces of the couples i photograph, in the energy of the friends who attend their weddings, the children at play. Its always there. Its not always easy to see or find, but that doesn't mean it vanishes.
Next time you are walking down a street and you pass someone who has a sorrowed or melancholy expression - attempt to catch their eye and smile. Sincerely. Feel it. project it. See what that does. In my experience, sending out a fleeting greeting of joy and compassion can create a tiny moment of meaning. And then there are the ripples. Maybe that person might feel compelled to smile at another stranger and then that stranger at another. Who knows what your impact , no matter how small, might have in the world.
And photos have the power to show us all that that love is there. To prove that it hasn't vanished. That love is part of our true nature. I look for that through my lens, because I believe in it. That is why I am a photographer in Worcestershire.
