“The camera is an instrument that teaches people how to see without a camera.” | A month ago I ran into a video online telling the story of a young photographer from National Geographic. I watched and replayed (and replayed and replayed) the 4:00 minutes admiringly; his life story blew me away. Could you imagine dropping school by the time you are 14? For anyone, you, being "just a kid", would be out of your mind. SCHOOL is necessary. Surprisingly, this is not always true: this man achieved so much more when he was exposed to the world out of it, and practiced--just like in the IA --hands-on learning. |
You see, there was a thing about taking photographs that I didn't understand: no one can teach you how to capture emotion. The strongest shots are those that make you feel something; those that can give you the chills, or make you laugh, or even cry...pictures that connect the photographer and the viewer, and whatever s/he truly witnessed: terror, cold, heat, playfulness, excitement. And because after all we are human, this is the only way one will connect with their audience. And how does a photographer achieve it? practice.
I feel that by taking one picture a day I've improved my sense of awareness, catching that detail in my day that moves me. I really consider that doing this has makes me happier : ) Transforming a hobby I had left in a drawer (my camera literally was stored there for months) into a habit, reminds me to delight from that simple pleasure each day. This challenge has also taught me to not keep my shots to myself but to share them with an audience through twitter. Because, just like Nat Geo's genius photographer teaches us, photography doesn't just entertain the view but if taken further what we normally ignore: moves people. | |