It's That Simple...

"This Way To Sleepy Cove"

*Sleepy Cove, Newfoundland, Canada*

Good afternoon my friends! The blog is BACK! I hope you've missed our little get-togethers! I know I've missed it. I've been working hard, and doing a little traveling, and working some more, and it's been rewarding. But I couldn't wait to get back to this. So here we are! Let's chat...

If you asked me right now what I most love about photography, what gets me really excited about the pursuit of this entire vocation called being a photographer, I'd have to say the act of picking up the camera is the best part for me. Sounds obvious I know. But as simple as it sounds, I get the impression from many in the industry that somehow that fundamental action is just their stepping stone to the other things they love. Creating new gear, new websites, new sales, new speaking opportunities, new trends, new apps, and new careers. Not that everyone is like that, or that those things are bad. But as someone striving to pursue photography, I've realized that my favorite thing is still just picking up the camera. And when I forget that, my love becomes a chore. It's that simple. 

My trip to Newfoundland two weeks ago made this very clear to me. I did nothing but carry my camera with me everywhere, and it meant 10 days of only photographing things I instantly connected with or impacted me visually and emotionally. And let's be clear, I can do that in my own backyard too... however I'd forgotten why I loved picking up my camera, the job aspect of all this meant other things had begun to distract. But on the trip it all came back... finding compositions out of chaos, choosing simple details, deciding what light was exciting, what scene was calming, what location was majestic, what elements were at play in the viewfinder, what story or emotion I could capture. I love the doing of it. It's that simple.

So here's an image from my trip where my host and good friend Dianne, and I,  climbed down a mountain trail to get to the ocean at Sleepy Cove. It's a simple shot but never underestimate the simple shot, it can represent so much for the photographer, and later the viewer. My intent was to explore, and let the camera record the things that spoke to me. An easy thing to forget in the mad surge of life. Easier to remember with the ocean roaring against the rocks!

I think I'll hang this near my work desk... to remind me that for everything I do with my photography, it's picking up my camera and putting it to my eye that affects me the most. It's that simple.