With Kat's assignment of tackling a challenge in mind, I had my mind open for the last few days to work through this issue of confidence. Two came up (of course - if you look the teacher arises)
I work with children with special needs (autism) for a living. I am in children's homes every day, and usually toting my camera around (don't like to leave it in the car!) A mom was lamenting that she never has "school pictures" because it's so hard to capture her son. I raised my figurative hand for that assignment - very low stakes - I see him every week! I would love to show some of the results but due to confidentiality, I can't. I can share her response though:
"Hi JJ,
Thanks so much for wonderful pics. I loved all the pics in his new outfit. I am crying looking at his today's pics.He is looking so handsome in Black & white pics.I can't believe that you have taken such good pics of N. He is very difficult guy when it comes to taking pics.M [his therapist], thanks so much for your idea of taking pics & efforts.regards,M."How did i feel working through this problem? You can guess.
The second opportunity arose at a breast cancer walk which is close to our family's hearts, as my mother in law chairs it, and she is a 2 year survivor. Those pics are below. As soon as you break out the big gun camera, people are asking if you are from the newspaper etc etc. I also don't excel yet at changing settings on the fly - I thrive much more in a controlled environment. But when I focused on capturing the details for my mother in law and not on creating great photography, I came out with a few winners. Having learned more about my "eye" prevented me from taking on photographs I couldn't handle, like groups of people or action shots. I just stayed with the small stuff and was pretty happy with some results (below). They might not be art, but they're documentation and they made someone happy. Which is enough for me.
9 comments:
How cool that you moved beyond your fear and used your camera to brighten the life of someone! I just love that.
How wonderful that you are using your creative skills to make others happy. I can only imagine how much those pictures meant to the mother of the autistic child. Thank you for sharing this with us today.
What a fantastic story JJ! You can see how moving past your fear was a win-win situation. How awesome that you images to touch that mother's heart. I applaud you for making the efforts and expanding your comfort zone. So inspiring!
You've given a gift not only to the autistic boy's family, but to yourself. That's a two-fer, and two-fers are always wonderful in that there's a bonus.
I appreciate your visit to my blog-the kind words about my writing, and to whatever pushed you to just post.
I didn't see the images you mentioned from the bc walk. I'll check back to see if I can see them.
BTW....love the name of your blog. How creative.
JJ,
What an amazing story. Walking through our fears, ignoring the pull of other people's expectations (or what we think they may be)is one of the hardest things to do. I so admire what you have done here - you have faced down many fears that I share myself. (I don't photograph people or anything that moves.) Thank you for sharing and for providing me with an important lesson.
Hi everyone, thanks for your comments and encouragement! The experience reminds me of when I was pregnant and we couldn't really afford a photographer so friends of ours offered to do the shoot just for their own fun. We were so grateful just to have documentation of that time.
JJ, what a lovely gift you gave that mother and her son. Thanks for sharing such a great story.
It seems to me that your success in taking pictures of the little boy is as much due to his trust in you from your teacher role as it is to your expertise with your camera. Congrats on earning his confidence as well as his mother's appreciation for the photos. Good for you!
This is a wonderful story! So glad that you had your camera and were willing to step through your fears. What a blessing.
Post a Comment