I am not a photographer. I think more often than not this title is assigned to easily. Taking a photo and slapping on some filters really does mean diddly-squat and any bozo who owns an iPhone can do it. Just because you have a (free) website and a Facebook page does not make you a photographer. I studied photography, and after the day I graduated, it took me four years to pick up my camera again! This comes as no surprise, not really. You see, I followed a passion and a love that I have for taking pictures and willed myself into a field of study that all of a sudden took over my life. I focused on this medium very intensely for a year — learned tons and equipped myself for life. Don’t misinterpret me — I don’t regret making the decision to study photography. It was very clear to me from the get go that I didn’t want to be a professional photographer. Rather pointless then, you might argue. Perhaps. 

You see, after graduating High School I fell into that very familiar rut that I am sure countless newly graduates have — not being able to decide on what exactly it is they want to do, or more specifically — study. You really can study anything and become quite the opposite at the end of the day. Avoiding the inevitable gap-year of not doing too much, I embarked on an entire new excursion. I moved to the picturesque Stellenbosch and started my life as a first-year student. I wanted to be productive, do something — or more importantly, learn something, a new skill! This course challenged me — not being the most technical person around. Technical theory classes cracked my brain a bit. Yet, at the end of the day, I walked away being wiser, gained life experience and was just as confusion as ever as to what my future was going to look life. 

I have the eye, to spot a good photo — I got it from my mother. I then discovered how to capture that picture, correctly. But it would be during the three years that I studied Event and Wedding Coordination that I was, essentially, trained in detail and (yes, I will say it) perfection! It becomes quite irritating when you begin picking up on every little thing that is out of place or just slightly skew. This is, believe it or not, a rather helpful accessory to life when you which to be a good photographer. By the end of my second-year I found myself interning at a television programme, which spilled over into my third year and eventually became my first proper job after I had completed my studies. Here I learned the valuable lesson of working under pressure, against time, and having to keep clients happy at the same time. You learn these things whilst working in events and weddings, when thought how to organise and plan — which is the most important part of any successful event. Television is a different ball game — you look differently at the world, you look differently at television. Behind the scenes is like being shown the slums of India when you have only ever known the Upper Eastside of NYC. All of these tools I worked for — because it wasn’t just given to me (something else which I learned: you work your ass off…and then you superglues it back on and just keep on going) would create a healthy anatomy of a photographer. 

I had come to the realisation that, for me, it is better to not make your job something which you love with your whole heart, but instead something which you are good at. That doesn’t mean you don’t enjoy your job or even that you don’t love it — it just means that it isn’t necessarily your biggest passion life. Do what you love and you will never work a day in your life — right? Then again, got to work to keep food on the table, or so I was brought up. It’s sad and a struggle when you are a creative soul that wants to be free. I learned this life lesson the hard way, through my photography. I needed to rediscover the love and passion that I know I have for this art form. That didn’t happen until 19 December 2014, four years after I graduated from studying photography. Step-by-step, the excitement started returning. 

Now, as I am entering a brand new year, a blank space do fill with as I please, I want to venture into this retuning love, and that is exactly what I intend to do on this space here. Taylor Swift wrote and sings: “This love is good, this love is bad/This love is alive back from the dead/These hands had to let it go free/And this love came back to me.” Join me on this journey as I discover, explore, capture, enjoy…love.

So, no, I am not a photographer. I am a lover of photography, who captured life the way I see it.