I think everyone who is passionate about a particular discipline has an “ah-hah” moment, that instant where the spark of a budding interest turns into an obsession.
Mine was on a ship patrolling the Caribbean Sea. It was just after sunset and we were preparing to send a boarding team over to another vessel, myself included. We had geared up, and in the fleetingly relaxed moments before putting our “game faces” on, my friend Kevin and I were on the flight deck joking with fellow shipmates on the level below.
Having played with my first camera (a tiny point and shoot) for a month, I noticed then for the very first time in my life the varied colors of light surrounding the scene, and the tense yet jovial mood. Handholding my tiny camera on a rolling ship for a full second, I managed the picture above.
Now, this image is blurry, noisy, somewhat out of focus and perhaps not really a great image at all. Nonetheless, at that moment, I remember thinking to myself, “wow, cameras can do that?”
The images in this journal represent the years since that moment in 2004, that one second exposure in the middle of the ocean. They document my first, exploratory steps into understanding light, capturing humanity, and telling stories. It has been a fulfilling journey of learning and frustrations, but I also know the learning and frustrations have only just begun.
I can’t wait to see what challenges and opportunities to learn are coming next.
No comments:
Post a Comment