12/2/20—Buckaloons Blizzard

Ventured out to take some more photos as snowfall started to pick up on this early December day. I decided to drive out to a campground that is closed for the winter. I parked outside of the gate, and as soon as I opened my car door, the wind almost blew it shut. I started walking, barely able to keep my eyes open because it was snowing so hard. I wasn’t even sure what pictures I was taking. Occasionally, I would duck under some pine trees to catch a break.

My goal this day was to find something special. I packed my photo bag while filling myself with high expectations. I was gonna take some banger photos, come home, and show my parents how awesome they were…that just isn’t how it works sometimes. And what I am realizing is that that is completely okay. People are going to favor and prefer certain photos over others. That doesn’t make any one image better than another. My favorite pieces of my own work are the ones that mean something to me personally. Other people might think those ones suck. It’s up for interpretation because photography is a form of art and expression. There are no rules. There is no such thing as right or wrong or good or bad. Everything is, once again, up for interpretation.

I think that I am finally coming to terms with the fact that any photo I take is quite literally my own, in the sense that it is how I perceive and view the world. Obviously it takes certain skills and a whole lot of practice to get your point across when creating. But at the end of the day, it’s art, so let go of any and all expectations. Just go out and make something.