SAUNTERING

Back before I was bitten by the shutter bug, I took a literature course during my second year of college that taught me the word “saunter”. It was a word used commonly by naturalist author, Henry David Thoreau. Much of his philosophy can be summarized by two of his quotes, “Go confidently in the direction of your dreams. Live the life you have imagined” and “All good things are wild, and free”. My take away was that to amalgamate within the beauty of nature, one by Thoreau’s merits has to learn to saunter.

Fast forward a decade and I’ve grown into a man with multiple facets. There is me, bustling as the New York native, stressed about my how efficiently I have utilized every minute of every day and then, there is I, one who poise his finger above his shutter, sauntering, bearing witness to the stories of individuals whom meld into crowds.

Canon VL2, LTM 35mm 2.8 on Ilford HP5 ISO400

Circa 1/29/2019

Make it stand out

Lately I’ve veered onto the next flux of my personal photographic journey and that is analog photography. When I photograph wildlife much of my focus is consumed by technicalities, ambition, and gear. What I perceived needed improving were my abilities to captivate compelling stories. Within the last two months, I’ve slowed down my photographic workflow to breakdown the elements of story telling. There is the medium, which is film photography, the philosophy which is empathy, and the action which is sauntering.

Canon IID, LTM 35mm 2.8 on Ilford HP5 ISO400

“A YOUNG MOTHER PRESSES HER LIPS GENTLY ON HER NEWBORN’S FOREHEAD. THESE ARE THE MOMENTS I FEEL ARE OFTEN OVERLOOKED AND LOST. THESE ARE THE MOMENTS WHICH RESTORE FAITH IN MY NEED TO BELIEVE THAT WE AS PEOPLE POSSES GREAT POTENTIAL TO LOVE”.

Sauntering embodies a fashion of ease, where I’m there to just acquiesce the silent voices around me. It is a time when life is not focused on “I” but rather on those who make up a community, our community, and ultimately our world. I’ve decided on starting this blog as photographic journal about giving light to the stories of others as much as it is about giving you insight on my personal growth as a photographer.

Until the next post, happy sauntering!

Canon IVSB2, LTM 35mm 2.8 on Ilford HP5 ISO400