I have had more fun with photography in the past two weeks than I have had since the first time I ever picked up a camera. Positive feedback, support, and inspiration has been coming at me from every direction and it has been pleasantly overwhelming. Like I have been launched on this rocket ship taking me to the next step and I have come to the realization that is isn't pointed at anything.
Spent a lot of nights in the IC unit the first year of her life. For a very inconsistent list of reasons. Which is why I have so many documents only a 2TB external hard drive can hold down.
And now here I am with my fancy website, professional email, and business cards. Now what do I do? Even artist who rely on rogue musings don't just sit around and wait for stuff to happen with their creations. That external hard-drive holding almost a terabyte of RAW files (with no consistent folder structure) isn't just a paperweight for Kalani's veterinary files. It holds my greatest treasures...while holding down Kalani's veterinary files.
Still trying to figure out the business card. I thought I would try to stand out with a portrait style card. I might be heading back to the drawing board.
So I need to point the rocket ship somewhere. At least have some way of connecting with people. I don't really see myself doing weddings, sports events, and concerts like Frank. I prefer to take photos of stuff that doesn't move around a lot. There are amazing landscape photographers that teach classes and lead photo tours like Andy. But I don't know if I am really that kind of leader right now - I literally learned about split toning 20 minutes ago. I guess I am still struggling with figuring out where to go from here. What do photographers do when they aren't taking photos (or at their normal-person job)?
At this point all I can imagine doing is making the world more beautiful. Capture images that make people want to get out and do the thing I was doing when I took the photo. That has always been what drove me. Showing people how awesome it is out there. Like, I once camped on the beach during a new moon on Cape Alava. I was all alone and this is what I saw:
BOOM!
That is a group down the beach I didn't know having a camp fire. So I mean, I wasn't alone on the beach. But no one wanted to go that weekend. And that is what they missed out on. Also that was taken like a year and a half ago. So don't be offended if you just met me and wanted to be invited. You're invited on the next trip for sure! Put April on your calendar.
But I also want to show you why we need to protect these places. There are very few National Parks you can go to these days where you don't see graffiti.
Like in Death Valley.
Beautiful Yosemite
There are people who just can't stand not being front and center.
Even the Boy Scouts are vandalizing our natural treasures.
It is just a really sad problem.
When I am taking a photo I am showing you where I went. How I got there. The trail I traveled. The route I climbed. The waves I listened to. And the photo is the only thing I take. And I bring it back to show people how important that place is. And they way I hope it will look forever so that others can see what I saw and have the experience I had.
So that is where my rocket ship is pointed. I want to inspire you to explore the mountains and wilderness. And I want to talk about how we can protect it. And I want to find charities who can use the little money I make along the way. I am just one small person, but if I can climb that big mountain - what is stopping me from protecting it?
In the words of Beverly McNeil: "Unplug and go outside!"