It's A Journey

May 11th Article - South Shore Breaker

This article was published in the May 11th edition of the South Shore Breaker. Blog readers will already know my vacuuming story. Here is the link if you want to read it online: South Shore Breaker: It's A Journey , or I have reprinted it below.
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I recently bought a new camera, which can be quite an exercise in frustration. I think the biggest thing I realized is that my former camera did a lot of things that I didn’t even know about. And I’m learning about those things with my new camera. One of the questions most photographers will ask when they meet another photographer is "what camera do you use?". 

An inspirational photo and saying I created while undergoing treatment for breast cancer

I don’t like this question because I am totally, absolutely totally, a non technical person. I do remember the camera I use. But I don’t remember details about the lenses and other equipment. I know I have a "big lens" and a "close up lens". I know which one to use in different circumstances. But that’s about it. I used to be quite intimidated talking about equipment with people, but now I just confess up front that I don’t have a clue! I laugh, and move on with the conversation. I figure it’s just a conversation starter that most photographers are comfortable with.

To me, what matters is....what type of pictures do you like to take?

Are you a family person? Do you take photos of your children or grandchildren? Or pets? Are you a record keeper? Do you record family events and holidays to bring back memories when you look at them in the future? Do you like scenery - sunrises and sunsets? Landscapes and seascapes? Are you a sports fanatic? Ball teams or racing or maybe horse jumping or zumba? Are you a gardener who wants nice pictures of your flowers? Are you an artist who uses a camera and computer software to make art? The sky is the limit with photography!

And you know what? Like most hobbies, it’s a journey. You start one place, and end up somewhere totally different. I mentioned last week that I started out over forty years ago with a Kodak "pocket camera" and mostly took photos of our family dog. Fast forward to five years ago (because as you age you realize that 35 years can pass by in the blink of an eye) and I was diagnosed with breast cancer. I used my photography together with my writing skills, and created some inspirational images to help me get through the surgeries and radiation treatments.

When we moved to Nova Scotia, I joined the Bridgewater Photo Club and started on a more creative journey with my photography. Don’t get me wrong, I still take photos of my pets and, of course, our kids and grandkids! But now I look at things I took for granted before. Shadows and reflections. Raindrops on blades of grass. The strain of an oxen’s muscles at an ox pull. Frost on windows. Bugs. Having a camera in your hand makes you slow down and see the world with different eyes.

So this leads me to a little story...
I was vacuuming a few weeks ago and found an insect wing on the floor. Hmmm. Most people would vacuum up the wing without a thought, but my brain engaged. I stopped vacuuming and carried the wing into the garage (aka my studio), got out my tripod, camera, and macro lens. I took a photo of the broken wing on a mirror, cleaned up the photo a bit on my computer and added a few words. Voila. My latest artistic image was created.

created while distracted from vacuuming

Didn’t I tell you that photography can lead you to unexpected places? And I did eventually finish the vacuuming.

Next time: I'll tell you a bit about someone else’s creative journey.