I know you’re probably thinking “another why I love photography post”, but the truth is rather than just that this is more a post just to show all of you where I was and where I am now. I’m about to show you embarrassing photos from when I first started shooting as well unleash photos from projects i’ve done that I’ve never shared.

The truth is, I started shooting a long time ago and I’ve been passionate about photography for the longest time, probably since the age of ten (if I can remember correctly). It was a hobby and a fun thing for me to do to pass my time. My uncle, my dad, my cousins have been doing the same from when I was just a small child, that’s probably where this love for the camera came from. At the time I had no idea it was going to become the focus of my life, and here I am today. I was lucky my parents stood by me the whole time, despite what everyone said and allowed me to chase my dream!

Photography only started off as a way to showcase beautiful landscapes and sceneries through my photos. However, over time it started to expand and has now blossomed into so much more. I’ve had my ups and downs with photography and there’s been times I have hated it as much as I love it! This was most when I started studying in 2014 at the Orms Cape Town School of Photography, shedding tears and almost giving up the whole idea of photography. But at the same time, this is where I learnt not only how to use a DSLR & Film camera but also about the history of photography and the way it has evolved over time. Something, I would have never learnt on my own (let’s be honest).

I’ve come to realize photography is something you will never be perfect at. I can safely say I’ve been learning every single day (from the time I started shooting), becoming better at what I already do and expanding on what more I can photograph. Portraits and food photography was never something I intended on doing when I first started studying and now this is what I do most (apart from the Travel & Landscape stuff) and to my surprise, I really enjoy it!

I never thought I would use photography to deal with something to help me emotionally and psychologically. This came to me as a surprise, while working on my creative portfolio for the end of the year. I’m grateful for this art and the camera because it enabled me to face my fears and be able to tell a story through the photos I captured. Hatred for photography increased to the highest level while I was working on this project. This was because I had to put myself in situations that I was most insecure about. Looking back, I can safely say the project definitely helped me get over some fears and start addressing the other fears. It’s been a long journey since then but there’s no way I would have faced it if it weren’t for photography. The title of this project was “Fighting Fear”, I’ve never been able to openly share it however, today seems like the perfect day to do so (click this link to view the project).

Last year was a crazy year for my family and even then photography helped me get through some of those times. Being able to document and capture moments that have become precious or a learning memory was a blessing. It was these moments that shaped our present and being able to look back at them is a gift. For this reason, photography has become an important part of my life & my journey, not only as a photographer but more so as an individual. What better day than today to pay a tribute to photography, since it’s #WorldPhotographyDay. There’s so much more I can say about photography, this is just a tiny way of me saying thanks to the most important thing for me!Also, thank you to all of you that have been reading my blogs, something that was really hard for me to begin.