A photograph that changed my life

© Sophia Roberts

You could say that photography changed my life. 

When suffering from crippling depression in 2013 I took Andrea Sher’s online photography course, Superhero Photo.  I chose this course because I was attracted by Andrea’s philosophy that “photography is more than a hobby — it’s a way of seeing & experiencing the world. And it’s not about technical skill, or having the latest lenses & gadgets — it’s about chasing light, capturing delight, and shifting our perspectives — literally and artistically.” 

It worked.  Six weeks later I was different person.

I had a new interest in life.  I only had a compact digital SLR but I now used it to take numerous photographs when I went abroad for the first time in twenty years, to visit Poland and Oman.  I was delighted with the feedback I received, which made me think that I may have a talent for making photographs.  

So I decided to take another on-line course in the summer of 2014.  And I discovered Kim Manley Ort and Contemplative Photography.  I had no idea such a thing existed!

By way of a taster I subscribed to Kim's free Roots of Photography course and I then signed up for her course, Adventures in Seeing.  But I was apprehensive, not least because I am housebound, with MS.  I am often restricted to what's available within my home or what I see when I look out of the window.  I thought that I had probably exhausted what was available to me in 2013.  Not a bit of it; I was pleasantly surprised to discover that there was – and is (!) – a lot more to see, right here.

I learnt a lot from this course – not least that I had a lot to learn about contemplative photography.  I didn’t really get it… 

But I had found something that ticked all the right boxes for me: it was creative, spiritual and academic.  And – for me – it was also about people.  I could share what I’d seen, with the world (thanks to social media and blogging).

I'd  been very impressed by Kim and by her gentle, supportive teaching style, and I knew now that I wanted to do ALL her courses.  So the time had come to invest in a ‘real’ camera. I bought myself a Nikon D3300. 

The next course on Kim's agenda was The 50mm Project course (since discontinued), which meant buying my first prime lens.  I was also discovering that photography has the potential to be a costly hobby (!)  But prime lenses are worth evert penny.  I now have several.

As it soon became apparent that I knew next to nothing about the technicalities of handling my new camera The 50mm Project represented a steep learning curve.  However with a little application on my part I began, by the third week, to get the hang of things. In the past I'd never paused and thought about how to go about making a photograph (save how to frame an image); so, gone were the days of 'point and shoot'.

This image represents the first time I made conscious decisions when taking a photograph and achieved a modicum of success.  I was – and am – inordinately proud of it. 

It represents the moment when I felt strongly that I may have found my inner calling.