What Photography Means to Me

Yesterday, I was one burned out mama in need of time alone. So I got my husband to hold down the fort, grabbed my camera and drove away from home with no plan. I ended up out near the Portland International Airport and parked my car directly under the flight path just as the sun was setting. Ahh...bliss.

I watched the crescent moon, the snow on Mt. Hood, the headlights on the cars going by and the lights under the airplanes coming in for a landing. I felt the brisk wind rustle in the trees around me and I listened to the roar of those jet engines over my head. All the while, I was clicking away on my Canon, totally oblivious to my cranky, spent mood from half an hour before.

With the very last light, I put away my camera and snapped a photo of the scene with my phone for Instagram. Without thinking, I wrote about what photography means to me and now I would like to share it with you too.

I am a photographer because I need to see the magic all around me every day. The days can be so long, so full of conflict and negotiation and giving and deciding things and struggling. When I am running on fumes and desperate for me, my camera is always there to help me see the magic that is there all along, even when I'm too worn out to see it without my lens. And my camera doesn't care about my grammar. And I hope my photographs have helped you see the magic on your hard days too. That is my deepest wish.