Into My Mind

The path towards success is often filled with disappointments and frustrations. As you get into the travel, adventure and documentary genre, you get to develop this fear of missing a shot or FOMAS. Often times, this passion keeps you awake late at night.

Pondering and regretting over photographs or scenes that could have been made if you made the proper preparations, sometimes we focus so much on finding or creating that perfect photograph that we forget the moments that we are in. A journey isn’t defined by the end alone, but with every step, misfortune, triumph and lesson it brings.

Photography has been both an enemy and a friend to me. It conquers me at my waking moments but then again it gives me purpose to push on.

My journey with photography took a sudden turn a few years back. It was about cameras, lenses, studio equipment, gear and the things that made you a better photographer when I was starting out, now it’s all about meaning, purpose and a sense of fulfilment. Not recognition, awards, fame or social status, but creating a legacy which the future generations can follow.

There is nothing wrong in photographing models, pretty faces and beautiful people, but it just doesn’t appeal to me the way it did before. Sure, it gets you cred in the industry or elevates you among your peers, but is that really it? Is that all that you can be?

In this industry, it is often said that it is not what you know but who you know that matters sometimes. True, getting the right connections can give you projects or work that you can’t do by yourself. However, you have to keep track of what you’re doing and not stray from the path that you want. From my personal standpoint, I feel like an absolute neophyte in this industry.

I may have etched some accomplishments in my record, but I know I can be so much more. Change as they say is the only thing constant is this world, and I’d have to agree. Change is scary, but it can just be the right kind of scary to find the deeper meaning of your life.

It may somewhat appear like some people (maybe myself) have a mid-life pre-existential crisis, but the truth of the matter is that they just want to find themselves and live out life with no regrets. Maybe it’s not just photography, maybe it’s something more.

What I like about climbing mountains is that from the base to the summit, you question yourself on why did you even agree to take this trip. But when you descend from the summit to your end destination, you begin to realize that wasn’t as bad as you thought it would be. Physically speaking, I’m not made for gruesome climbs and explorations; I’ve just come to realize that in this world, wit, and will can do a lot of things.

When it comes to photography, writing or anything else, transitioning into something else should not scare us but create a whole new beginning for us to savour. For the sun sets on all, but not everyone gets to see the sun rise.