Commencing
“Photographs of things that we as humans cannot or do not control - a soft purple sunset… your friend making your cheeks hurt from laughter - are records, proof, visual reminders that we do not need to be in control of everything to experience contentedness.”
Hopefully at this point, you’ve had a muse over the archives, and seen me meddle around on Instagram.
Intro: this is a very loose ‘photography blog’ and my Instagram account is a very loose ‘photography’ account.
Don’t misunderstand, I WANT to showcase my photography in a professional manner, hence the website. I want to give (whatever) advice and experience I have in this area of photography to anyone who wants it. However, considering the field of photography I’ve chosen (macro, I choose you!), I can only take it so far. For example, I don’t think I can make it into a business the same way a wedding or fashion photographer can. To be completely honest, I’m not sure I want to turn this passion into my main line of work - I’d be scared of it becoming a burden, something I grow to see as a chore. I don’t want to feel the pressure of not having posted in a week, I don’t want to pump out content like a machine. I want to give purpose to the photographs I’ve taken through sharing them, and taking them when I want to take them. I don’t want to ever feel a burnout in this aspect of my life. If anything, the expectation is that I want my blog/archives to be a good talking point over a decent cup of coffee. (Indecent cups of coffee are not welcome here).
The world is quite saturated with people taking photos of every pretty landscape, flower, sunset they encounter. I’m just another one of them (and proud of it). We take photos of "pretty” things as they make us feel a certain way - and we want to hold onto whatever that is a little longer. You may even want to share it with people you love. Photographs and how we share them can become a language. Hopefully you got a hint of that in my galleries.
People feel the need to control things. In our times of suffering, of grief, self pity, loneliness, we feel nothing is going “our way”. No one is there for us. Everything is uncontrollable. It is the photos and videos taken and memories held of the the “pretty” things that can serve as reminders. We don’t need to be in control over all, we can’t, we shouldn’t. Photographs and videos of simple things that we as humans cannot or do not control - a soft purple sunset; a bunch of dandelions growing out of the pavement; the cat that played with you on your walk; your friend making your cheeks hurt from laughter - are records, proof, visual reminders that we do not need to be in control of everything to experience contentedness. You can’t control the stressful occurrence happening right now. You also can’t control the sunset, the weeds on a side road, the cat, your friend’s silly musings. These moments of contentedness are stored in your memory like little polaroids, for you to come back to when you have nothing to rely on right now. They give you hope that more times like those can come. These moments authenticate your self and experience. You embrace all moments of life, grow from them, and see how strong you really are. It is tiring to be strong all the time. The strength is also what makes you get up in the morning.
I go on walks when I need control over my body, my thoughts, to escape. I can’t go on a walk anymore without the comfortable weight of my camera bag on my back. I think about everything I want to avoid while distracted by the sunlight and somehow end up with the best photographs by the end of it. Even if I don’t end up taking photographs on these walks, I need the backpack to give myself some purpose for when I feel like there isn’t a purpose in anything. Photography can be a form of catharsis for me and I can recall my history, past, story, whatever you want to call it, with every photo of sprouts and flowers I have shared here. Some of it can be extremely sad. Some of it is just because the weather was perfect so I dropped everything and ran outside like a loony.
This brings me back to the beginning of this post - I’m seeing my website and social media as simply mediums of expression rather than anything else. Everyone needs to have something in their lives they do with no expectation. Something you do for the sake of doing it. Not everything in life needs to be competitive - even things that we happen to be ‘good’ at and enjoy.
I’m open to suggestions for blog posts you’d be interested in! If there is anything about this area of photography or editing or any topic you would like to hear my perspective on, let me know on my socials. I welcome you and hope that something I say/share on any of my spaces holds some worth or value to you.
Welcome to my blog!
- Amber