Photography excites me!
There! I've said it out loud and I am unashamed!
When I spot a moment I need to capture, my eyes light up, my pulse quickens and my heart beats a little faster. My fingers eagerly fumble for the on switch of my camera while my eyes remain locked on the scene that has caught my attention - fearful that I will lose it if I look away, even for a second. I raise my viewfinder to my eye and I furiously click away till I'm satisfied that the moment is firmly within my grasp (or at least embedded on my camera's sensor).
I love to take pictures, whether it be the adoring gaze of the groom as he catches the first glimpse of his bride walking down the aisle or the unconditional love a mother exudes as she holds her baby in her arms or the cheeky grin of an "urban" child whose demeanour belies the truth of his surroundings or even a glorious sunset, which reminds me that I am but a small part of a much bigger picture.
To understand my obsession with enthusiasm for photography, we have to go back, way back to where as a young child I discovered I had no artistic talent whatsoever. Matter of fact, my art teacher literally laughed in my face when I told him I was thinking of doing art for GCSE. He let me know in no uncertain terms that doing so would be a waste of his valuable time. At which point, I pretty much resigned myself to the fact that I got the science genes while my siblings (both talented artists in their own rights) got the artsy end of the gene pool. So to discover that I could be creative without having to draw a single line, well quite frankly was a relevation to me. And to further discover that people actually liked my work - well gee, this is the stuff dreams are made of.
But why am I sharing this with you, you may ask? Well it's because for the first time it's finally hit home that sometimes the only thing truly holding us back from what we really want to do or be is ourself and the fear of what we can truly achieve if we put our minds to it.
I'd like to share with you a paragraph, which I'm sure a lot of you are familiar with, from the book A Return to Love by Marianne Williamson. It goes:
------------ x ------------
"Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate.
Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.
It is our light not our darkness that most frightens us.
We ask ourselves, who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented and fabulous?
Actually, who are you not to be?
You are a child of God.
Your playing small does not serve the world.
There's nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other
people won't feel insecure around you.
We were born to make manifest the glory of
God that is within us.
It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone.
And as we let our own light shine,
we unconsciously give other people
permission to do the same.
As we are liberated from our own fear,
Our presence automatically liberates others."
------------ x ------------
And I think I finally get it. I hear what she's saying and I get it!
In December 2009, I decided life was too short and I didn't want to have any more regrets so I decided to focus on my photography. I started my blog, started putting my work (and myself) out there and the response from friends, family and even complete strangers - some of whom are incredible artists - has been nothing short of a blessing. It is this response that has given me the confidence to keep on going and actually believe that I can achieve my goal of becoming a full-time professional photographer.
So to sum up, here's what I'm asking: What’s your passion? What's your talent? What’s your gift? Are you doing what you love? If not, what's stopping you?
I would love to hear from you either on the blog or on my Facebook page.
As always, I'll end with a picture that makes me smile.
Take care
Wani
xxx
Inspirational - you are not only gifted with the lens but also with words. Thank you for sharing.
x
Lovely extract...Let your light shine bright, baby - the sky is the limit...
Have you thought of writing as well?
Hi Auntie
No oh. I think I was inspired by my excitement this time
🙂
That is how you know a good writer - I was inspired.
You can give up the day job anytime Wani – you are that good…I can’t even use a throwaway camera!!
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