Thoughts on photography

I didn’t really get bit by the photography bug until I got my first smartphone in 2010. It was a Windows phone, and boy oh boy was it fancy. At least, it fit my definition of “fancy” because it could do more things than my old flip phone could do, mainly in the camera department. I was entranced. I started taking pictures with my phone, and couldn’t stop. From minute things like little birds or my apartment, I took pictures faster than I could delete them.

Several years later, I upgraded to an iPhone, and my obsession continues. When I had a kid, I took more pictures of her than there were space on my phone – from the moment she was born until now, she’s been in the spotlight, along with my son. They are growing up in a drastically different era than I. Photos weren’t such a big deal when I was growing up, especially because I grew up in a poverty stricken country. Hence, my parents were more concerned with the bare necessities than documenting their daily lives.

I’m not sure how many people who know me knows how crazy I am about taking pictures. I am an introvert, usually awkward in social situations, especially at parties. I socialize by hiding in a corner, and if I’m lucky to have my husband there, I let him do all the talking. So I don’t particularly have the drive to put myself out there – artistically or otherwise. Now, that’s about to change, because for one – I got a DSLR recently as a gift (early birthday or valentine’s gift, I don’t know) from my husband, and I realize for the past six years or so that I’ve been taking pictures that photography is a “hobby” that brings me joy. Sure, I love baking too, and I love taking pictures of all the things I bake, but I usually end up not eating most of what I bake, not because it’s not good, but because I bake for others to enjoy. Photography is another dimension of happiness altogether.

So today, I decided I’m going to start a project that will push me out of my comfort zone a little bit, and help me become a better photographer. A morning/afternoon project. It’s simple – take some pictures in the morning, before 10am, and some pictures in the afternoon, after 12pm, and post my favorites here.

Why document the mundane everyday things when you’re not a celebrity, you say? Well, I believe that the everyday things, from routines we follow in the morning (wake up, brush teeth, drink coffee, put clothes on) to the things that we do before we head to the office (whether it’s a home office or a real office building) to our jobs and things we need to do every day, I think it’s something that goes by in a flurry and sometimes I catch myself wondering what happened on so-and-so morning because I couldn’t remember. If you have a daily routine, it’s important to remember them, and if you don’t, that’s okay too. It’s the little moments that make up the whole day. I hope to take pictures every single day for 365 days so by the end of the year I can have enough images to create a collage photo book. I want to remember the joys, the sorrows and the in-betweens.