UNEXPECTED PHOTO JOURNIES
Nathan Martin
All journeys have a beginning: some we control, others we must let fate decide. The same is true of capturing a moment on your camera. My photography journey was started by someone who’ll never be aware of the change they made to me, and I will be forever thankful.
On a walk, I had a chance encounter with someone looking avidly out at what appeared to be mudflats. Asking him what he was looking at, he shared his time and showed me that what I had interpreted as a group of rocks, was actually a family of seals! He left me with some simple advice, “Get some binoculars, you’ll be amazed at what you see.” And so I did.
Seeing birds and bugs I had no idea existed, it wasn’t long until I knew I needed a camera to identify what I was seeing. Snapping everything I came across, I spent hours out walking, before coming home and figuring out what I had seen. My photography addiction had begun, and more importantly, so had my healing process.
Before photography I was in a dark place, and nothing seemed to improve my mental wellbeing. I had little motivation to do activities, or anything to be excited for.
However, photography gave me all of this and more. The feeling of seeing something new is like being an inquisitive child again: “What’s that? Why is it doing that?”. Similarly, the shock of capturing a moment that you can never recreate is unparalleled. Within a fraction of a second you own that moment. And the want to get outside in order to generate those feelings is the healthiest addiction I can recommend.
Photography saved me, and I would recommend it to anyone. However, more importantly, the message here isn’t to go buy a camera or some binoculars, but simply to be kind. You never know the impact you might just have on someone’s life.
This article first appeared in PRISMA, Issue 8.