As far back as I can remember, I have always been aware of my surroundings. Even as a very young boy, I was observant of everything. I did not realize until I was much older that maybe I was some sort of anomaly. I have spent my life processing things and trying to understand things, particularly the natural world.
Maybe odd is an appropriate word for me? Now that my hair is turning gray, I seem to have a better understanding of myself and what it is that truly makes me tick. I love the natural world and all it encompasses. I am unimpressed by money, fame or even some level of success.
I am impressed by the way the light casts shadows late in the afternoon, fog hanging low on a body of water or the way the colors of the earth all blend together perfectly. I have always been drawn to the light, literally and figuratively. There are so many things that capture my attention that most people never even notice.
I’m not casting aversion on others; I am merely saying that I have been given a gift to see things others do not see. It has taken me most of my life to figure out which drawer to put the good knives in. What I mean by that is I have finally started learning who I really am and my place in this world. It’s been a long and winding road, but I think I really know who I am these days and what my purpose on this earth is.
When I was 12 or 13, I picked up a camera for no particular reason and started taking pictures. It was as if there was an unseen force drawing me into the world of photography. I saw things and wanted to capture them on film so they could live on in perpetuity. It certainly has been a lengthy process, but at the same time it has been so fulfilling for me.
In the early days of my photographic efforts, my pictures were fair at best. I kept plugging away at it though and I like to think that I am a little better at it than I once was. I remember going to Walmart or Rite-Aid and dropping off those rolls of 35 mm film. Then came the hard part, the waiting, waiting for the film to be developed and returned to me. It was always like Christmas morning when that sleeve of pictures arrived.
I would go through those pictures, hoping that maybe there was one or two that were worthy. I am my own worst critic when it comes to my pictures. I only want the best, period. These days things have become much easier with the onset of digital technology. I take pictures and the images are stored on an SD card. Then they can be instantly downloaded onto my computer.
I have editing programs on my computer, and I can really make a picture what I want it to be. Now there is AI where you can create something that is not real. I have no use for an editing program or AI, none. I either captured the image I wanted or not. My life is centered around what’s real, not some fabricated or distorted sense of reality.
As the years have rolled on by, I fully understand what my photography is about and why I do it. Technology, for the most part, is lost on me. My greatest desire is that my photography affects people in some way. I want people to be able to see in an image what I saw when I took the picture. Beyond the subject of a picture or even the quality, I want people to be able to feel what I felt when an image was created.
I take pictures to affect people in the best way possible. I am drawn to things on a daily basis that I not only love but truly affect my soul and I have the greatest heartfelt desire to share that with the world.
I am beyond thankful for the things that I have been given the ability to see. It’s a gift, plain and simple. I don’t think that I’m sort of photographic wizard, I know that it’s a gift that was so graciously given to me and meant to be shared. As I am writing this article, my mind has started to wander out into the countryside where I will soon be with a camera in hand.
With all the things I see though, I don’t take pictures every time. Some things are left untouched by the lens of a camera. They are captured in my heart to live on and feed my soul. There are also things I see that are not possible to photograph, but the images are forever ingrained in my mind.
Last Saturday afternoon I was fishing with a very dear friend in my beloved river, The Ogeechee. I only took one picture. The leaves were in their fall glory, and the water was as pretty as it could be. I chose to let those sights permeate into my very being instead of residing on a computer. I have those images stored in my heart.
After we came out of the river, we went to the kennels to feed dogs. My friend, who also happens to be a cousin, helped me with my chores. As we were finishing up, right at dark, I looked up and my eyes grew wide. A covey of wild bobwhite quail was flying out of some larger pine trees into a more open area that had some very young pine trees growing there. The covey pitched into the broomsedge. They were going to roost. What a perfect ending to an already incredible day. I snapped the picture in my mind’s eye.
I had to look up to see that covey flying by and I have learned that the best things can be seen when we choose to look up. Whether we’re looking at birds flying by or looking up into the heavens, in order to see things clearly, we must look up.
