This question has been on my mind lately….Why do I photograph? I am not a professional photographer spending my days out in new exotic locations, teaching workshops or creating content for a YouTube channel, WHY?

I am just a humble ordinary girl with a regular 9-5 job! So, what is it about photography that draws me in, that gives me a buzz, and makes me go back for more of the same?

We all strive to become technically skilled in the operation of our tools….the camera, the gear we use and the post processing to bring our photos to life, to add emotion and tell a story, but why?

The other day I was shooting down at the beach, trying to get waves at a slow shutter speed. I had my camera on the tripod with ‘Big Bertha’ my 100-400mm lens on the front. My eye was looking through the viewfinder….I was in the ZONE, so much so, when a passer-by stopped to chat, I nearly jumped out of my skin….I never heard them approach or knew they were there! I was lost in the moment. This is not the first time this has happened.

This to me feels like an escape, a feeling of complete solitude (good solitude!) …this is when my creativity awakens and my emotions become part of the images I create.

The same way listening is different to hearing, seeing is different to looking!

Embrace the senses…be still - don’t rush! Capture your feelings in an image…..this is why I take photos! I can capture and share my emotions in a moment of time in a frame…to cherish forever! This is why i do it…..this is what makes getting up early, shooting in the rain all worth the effort!

For me this process comes naturally and I intuitively fall into this cycle when I photograph.

Ansel Adams has a well known quote - ‘When people ask me what photography equipment I use, I say, my eyes!’ - well I take that one step further, I say, my heart!

This is why I photograph. You can’t see this with the naked eye!!

Till the next adventure!