Going to the beach on Mother’s Day has become a sort of tradition for my family. This Mother’s Day turned out to be a very exciting one. As I headed to Island Beach State Park the fog around me increased. While passing over the bridge I could barely see in front of me. I could not see over the bridge, which was eerie, but it also excited me. I had never experienced the beach in a deep fog. As I got closer my enthusiasm grew and so did the fog. Once I was finally on the beach I had no time to waste. I immediately dropped my bag and took in the environment. After only a few minutes I was mesmerized by it all. The contrast of this beautiful beach and the ghostly thick fog, encapsulated me. I loved it. After taking it all in, I began to take different images of everything and was immediately pleased. I knew I had captured some amazing things, which most people never get to see. I was also pleased because I love having the opportunity to explore and photograph new subject matter. The images from the day not only came out wonderful, but they have inspired me to get back to it. All I have been doing is working and only photographing what I am assigned to. I hadn’t picked up a camera and taken an image for myself in months. It took this random, natural occurrence to make me pick up my camera, be excited to photograph something and to remember how much I love photography. The images from that day and the things I got to experience have inspired me to go explore and find new subject matter as much as possible. I have to remember that breaking up the monotony of my two part time jobs is necessary. It is necessary not only to keep my happy, but so I also excel at the assignments I am handed at work. As long as I am happy, I tend to do well, make better images and strive to be the better more often. All in all I need to do more for me, so I can excel at all I do.
Art & Fear
Recently I read the book Art & Fear by David Bayles and Ted Orland. This book was amazing and I believe every artist should read it. My favorite line of the book is, “If, indeed, for any given time only a certain sort of work resonates with life, then that is the work you need to be doing in that moment” (Ch. 4 Pg. 7). At this time in my life, where graduation is so near, I have realized the only work I seem to enjoy and truly get pleasure from shooting are concerts and sporting events. I love looking at this type of work and I tremendously love doing it. It is the only work that I can truly appreciate and when I am the one taking the photographs I feel as if I am in a dream and someone needs to pinch me. I can always spot good work when I see it and I can appreciate a good still life or portrait or anything for that matter, but none of it affects me like a great sports moment or concert photograph. I shot a concert a few weeks ago and it almost put me in tears. Tears of joy of course, but I felt this way about it because it was unreal to me. To be able to shoot some of my favorite bands in a well-known venue was amazing. To know I got great photographs was even better, but the moment I was noticed and given an amazing photograph was what over joyed me. The moment the lead singer of the main band pointed down at my camera and looked directly at me was the perfect moment. The moment every photographer there was waiting for and the moment I got. No one else got the photograph from it that I did and during this moment I truly realized how much I enjoyed concert photography. How much I love the great moments that happen during concerts and sporting events. The moments that I can relate to due to my sports background and immense love for music. This is why I love taking photographs at games and concerts. This is the field of photography that I want to be in and the statement from the book resonated this within my mind. It made me think about how much I love photographing these moments and how this is the only photography I can do at the moment and truly enjoy.