My Story

So, I wrote this earlier this year, thinking I would use it for the prologue of a book.  It’s not finished and I haven’t done anything else toward it, but decided to post it here.  I may still get around to writing/photographing that book, someday.

 

Maybe it’s because I’m a Libra, or maybe it’s because I was raised as one of ten kids, but I can’t bear to see something treated unfairly.  Everything has its purpose, not matter how great or small. When love is involved, there is nothing small.

I fell in love with watching relationships in high school.  It might have sprung up on me while reading novels by Jane Austen and the Bronte sisters.  But, as soon as I picked up, and learned how to use a camera, that’s all I’ve wanted to shoot.  This love affair continued through college, where I became an avid people watcher.  I remember sitting out in front of the library, after my early morning sociology class, which I thought was incredibly boring, just watching students come in.  In my mind, text books were nothing compared to hands on experience.  Of course, really it was “hands off” experience.  I was only watching, and occasionally sketching, after all.

I’ve started a gazillion different projects.  The first was “the age of freedom”, or at least that’s what I called it.  You know, when you’re around 18-25, and there just aren’t a whole lot of responsibilities.  Now that I’m older, and pretend to be wiser, I call it the selfish age.  How could you be anything else?  That’s when you have to find out who you are and what you want out of life.  The sad part is, if any of us was wise enough, at that age, all we’d have had to do is ask our moms.  They’d already known who we are for years.

The next project was shooting weddings.  I love watching the joy and excitement on the faces of a bride and groom. Even better than that, is how enraptured they are with each other.  I love to find the unspoken communications, sidelong glances, blushing, endless gazes.  These two, however are just the cake toppers.  A wedding is a hot bed of emotions, relationships, and well, what life is all about; parents crying, yet relieved at the same time; family and friends congratulating the couple, and themselves; new relationships, old relationships, hearts exploding, and probably some breaking, as well.  It is almost impossible to take a bad photo at a wedding.

Families came next.  I mean that is the next logical step.  Of course, by this time I was raising a family, and from them came all my inspiration.  (Have you noticed a pattern, single life, marriage, kids?  Yeah, obviously I take from my own life.)  My oldest brother once told me,”There is nothing sweeter than the love you have for your children.”   I tend to agree with him.  Capturing the manifestation of that love on “film” is a privilege.