on photography

Lately I have been missing this space, and the way I used to come here to document the details of our lives that I wanted to remember with some of the many photos I take. Over the Summer months I have managed to take more photos with my DSLR than I have in a long time. So often when we're going out as a family, I run through the mental checklist of everything I need to take. Before children, the list was keys, phone, purse, water bottle? Check. Let's go. With children, the list has quadrupled in length to include nappies, spare clothes for both children, water bottles for both children, snacks, sun hats, sun cream, wellies, coats, baby wipes, toys for distraction on car journeys, anti-bac gel, tissues and the kitchen sink thrown in for good measure. By the time my bag is filled with all the paraphernalia, there is rarely space for my camera, so I usually default to just using my iPhone.

I have been thinking a lot about creativity recently, partly prompted by the book, 'Big Magic', and partly it's just an ongoing thought process I have. Growing up, I remember feeling a great disappointment about my ability to create with paint in a way that reflected what my mind had imagined. My Dad gave me my first SLR for my seventeenth birthday, and I remember a pivetal moment being when I processed the rolls of film that I shot during my gap year travelling that I realised I could capture something that I was proud of. I love the way that photos allow us to remember the beauty in an even greater detail than our memories allow. There is something more detached about photography in that you are making art from something that already exists, whereas with painting, the skill lies with the painter to create from scratch. In photography, I discovered a creative outlet which didn't make me feel disappointed with my creativity in the way that I had with painting.

With the digital age of photography, I have thousands more photos than I would have if I had carried on shooting with film, and while I am consistent in making photo books with my phone photos, the same cannot be said for my DSLR images. They just sit on my memory card, in my computer and in in a couple of hard drives. Back in June, I started a photography organisation course to get on top of every single one of my digital images, which will help hugely when it comes to making photobooks based around particular themes. Revisiting some of the photos I have taken over the years reminded me again why I loved this blog and the place it held for my storytelling, and inspired me to keep on doing so.