Five years ago, I was trying to figure out why I was drawn to photography.
It was easy for me to describe the scenes I wanted to capture–beautiful landscapes. How could I achieve this–through preparation and planning?
To crystallize why it is more challenging, I had to write me. I wrote.
I will be roused from my warm bed by 4:30am on a cold winter morning. This will drive me to pursue photography for many decades. It’s the thing I will look back at when I am 80 years old and reflect on my life.
Why do I photograph? To share and create value with others.
Although the general strokes of this purpose remain true, I have noticed a change in what drives my work. These words no longer reflect my full creative expression.
After all the changes in my life, like moving to Melbourne and becoming a copywriter, I wanted to reflect on my deeper motivations for photography. To reassess my motivations for what I do.
A JACK of all Trades
When I wrote the article in March 2017, I could see my future professional career as being full of opportunities. I was only 25 years old, and my whole life lay ahead of me.
I was prone to rushing into new endeavors without considering the risks and pitfalls. I left my communications job and embarked on an exciting journey.
Iceland. Uluru. Vietnam. Next, I went to New Zealand, where my grandmother joined me for waterfall hikes and sunrise adventures.
In my reflections on these adventures, I wrote about the spirit of possibility.
It’s overwhelming to not know where my career will take me. It’s still going to be a very exciting time.
It was all part of the fun. It’s part of the fun.
As far as my photography is concerned, I have accepted every project that I could. Launches of smartphones. Portrait sessions. Neon car shoots. Surprise proposals. National conferences
Each new job was an opportunity for me to build my portfolio and expand my toolkit.
At the time, I had a way that reflected this. My images were meant to be a value-add for friends, clients, and businesses.
The more diverse my network of creatives, the greater the value I can add. The more photography I do, the more income I can earn.
A RISING CONCERN, a Narrowing Focus
I was able to expand my horizons and see a broader perspective, which helped me to determine the aspects of photography that were important to me.
The importance of creating value for others was pushed to the back burner. And creating value for a bigger cause than myself became more prominent.
This is why, earlier this year, I decided to give away my images to environmental groups for free. In the article, I discussed this shift in perspective:
I’ve been feeling something inside me.
Maybe it was the 2020 lockdowns, where I was forbidden from venturing outside by law.
Maybe it was the 2019 bushfires that triggered my resentment when I returned to smoke-choked sky and haunting dawns.
Maybe it was the 2018 climate strike, where I saw a new generation of activists spark a groundswell in support.
Over the past two years, my focus on the conservation of our natural world has intensified.
The pandemic gave me the time and space I never had before to read. As a result of this, my interest in books and, more importantly, ideas naturally drifted to the environment.
I am interested in topics that examine our relationship (and responsibility) with the natural world. Titles like:
- Under A White Sky By Elizabeth Kolbert (2021). Kolbert could write a guide on how to watch paint dry, and I would still devour it. She examines, beyond her beautiful prose and the resulting images, how we have harmed nature–and what we are doing to try and restore it with technology.
- The Starship and the Canoe Kenneth Brower, 1978. Astrophysicist Freeman Dyson dreamt of exploring the universe in a giant spaceship. George, his son, lives in a treehouse and is building a big canoe. Brower tells the story of this father-son pair and their opposing visions on how to live.
- Greenwood, by Michael Christie (2020). This novel spans from 2034 to 1908 and then back again through generations. Christie weaves questions of family, conservation, and progress into each of her vignettes.
The reading of these topics has made me reconsider my impact on nature and to be more vigilant. It’s time to act!
CONSOLIDATION and CONSERVATION
After the swirl comes the settling, when the distractions are gone, only the gold nuggets will remain.
My core values are still the same after the volatility of the last two years has subsided.
I have settled into a routine and rhythm that is familiar to me. With that, I have processed all the nebulous ideas and thoughts that were whirling in my head.
Reaffirm that fighting climate change is a top priority. When evaluating conservation and resource-use programs, take a long-term view. Use our power imbalance to restore the natural world wherever we can.
I have taken steps to minimize my impact.
You could reduce your meat consumption. My car’s emissions are offset. Supporting environmental groups such as The Wilderness Society or the Australian Conservation Foundation.
I wrote during Melbourne’s 3-month lockdown.
We view nature too often as a resource that we can exploit, conquer or harvest. Look at the marshmallow test. Immediate gains seem to be the easiest option. We should look at the long-term, not just quarterly profits.
We have an obligation to protect wild spaces for future generation. It would be a tragedy if our grandchildren only knew animals in zoos and manicured lawns of city parks. We must value the long-term and experience over short-term resource.
My photography and now my writing gives me the chance and responsibility to contribute to something bigger than myself. A thriving natural environment is an end in itself.
