Stepping Through

Becoming a photographer was an unexpected journey. When I was ten, I fell in love with cameras. It was a quick and easy way to create art. I was indiscriminate in the photos I took. If it interested me, I choose to photograph it.

As I grew older there was a desire to actually be more intentional but art was not a focus in my classes. At the time film was the popular means of capturing magical moments. It was the luck of the shot for the most part without previews. When cameras included previews, it made it easier to frame a shot properly and in real time.

By the time I am in high school, digital cameras are becoming an expensive product you can buy. And I took on photography for an elective without a clue about composition. I will be entered into juried art shows for photography but I don’t know the differences between a good composition or bad. I just know what I like.

I will be told by many people that I am great with colors but my compositions are lack luster at best. It isn’t until I get into college and I am nearly done with classes that I finally learn. In descriptive drawing, the teacher makes us sketch out masterpieces in 5-10 seconds. Through this practice my eye gets honed for the first time. The pieces I am doing are becoming more and more palatable to a wider audience.

As an adult I longed to create a collection of photos I was proud of, so I started exploring opportunities to create it. When camera phone became normal feature, I took on expanding my photography practice. I did basic things I loved and cataloged memories with friends and family. Then when I started hiking the focus on photographer shifted to nature. It became the journey of searching for that ethereal look and feel.

When my schedule is unpacked, I go on the quest for the magical moments. Can I create with my camera a sense of beauty and wonder that has never been seen like this before?

I am drawn to that moment where the sky is filled with brightly hued colors that leave me in awe and wonder. There was this one day where overcast was clearly filling the sky while I head to one of my favorite magical spots. My mind was curious about what may be on the other side of the hill. Is it a coast clear? Is it just clear enough for the sun to shine through the clouds? Will I get to be filled with awe at seeing the striking hues and colors?

When we arrive, the orange ball has no clouds to play with and nothing it’s in way to make the sky a dancing playground. Now the real journey brings as I look for something to highlight the magic of this experience.

Now the quest for creating beauty begins. If I leave the beach, what will I see?

Are there trees where it shines through and brings glistening colors to its branches? Is there a puddle nearby that would create a marvelous contrast? Where is my shot?

We leave and the sun shines brightly through as people walk by. Then it goes through the trees like a fairy door was opening up. I swear you could walk right through and enter another plane of existence. It was like a fairy gate just a few feet away where I could step through and touch magic. And this day was beginning of me feeling like I could be a photographer.