When I was little one of my favorite things to do was to draw. It was a time before smartphones and kids used to actually do activities that somehow challenged them. At the time I started watching anime as well and to me the coolest thing was taking my favorite characters from Naruto, Dragon Ball Z, Bleach and using my own skill create my own drawings of them. I still have those old drawings even though I don’t look at them any more but is good to know that I have a piece of my childhood, something I can show someone.
Why do I talk about drawing when this is about photos? Well, for me my love of drawing turned into an obsession with photography. A very long time had passed since I drew anything at all, to the point where I forgot what it felt like and ever since the first time I picked up a digital camera I was hooked, it all came back to me again, that familiar feeling. Keep in mind that this was around the time the iPhone 11 was out, so we already had phones that took good pictures, or what I thought good pictures were. You see, I was one of those people that questioned why someone would buy a digital camera when phones are already good enough. Which is why I was so surprised with the first picture I took with a Sony A7 RIII that belongs to one of my best friends. That one photo completely proved me wrong. And thats when it began, my new hobby and the unexpected emptying of my bank account because who knew high end digital cameras and lenses were that expensive. But, I was willing to spend all that money because nothing compared to the joy of seeing the pictures I was taking. My phone looked like it was from one of the Apple commercials where they are showcasing the phone’s camera and you see nothing but great looking pictures in the Gallery.
The gift of photography ( a quote from Peter McKinnon )
While learning to take photos one of the most exciting parts is the journey of developing your skills, learning about composition, what makes a good image or a bad one. I came across a youtuber called Peter McKinnon, I learned a lot from him and he helped expand on my ongoing excitement from photography. There was a phrase from one of his videos that went something like:
“The gift of photography”
One of my best experiences of that phrase happened while in the middle of the Covid 19 pandemic, right around the time where businesses like photo studios were not doing a lot of work because of the social distancing that was going on at the time. My friend and I ( the one that lent me the camera that started all of this for me ) were doing our thing, going out and about and taking photos of whatever inspired us, and then we see this recent High School graduate that was out with her family and dressed in a cap and gown. They were carrying this little camera and were doing their best to give her some nice memories of her new achievement to remember. My friend pointed it out and suggested we approach them and ask if they wanted us to take the photos. They agreed and after a quick photoshoot and exchange of information we all went our separate ways. The next day we sent them the images we took and they were incredibly happy. Until today this has been one of the most fulfilling moments of my time taking photos and that bring me back to the quote The gift of photography, there have been very few things that I have done in my life where I had the chance to gift someone literal happiness, to capture moments and freeze them in time.
That is why I take pictures.
Thank you for reading.
