This is the fourth of the guest posts, blog visitors who kindly answered the question  “How has photography, no matter your expertise or experience, had a positive impact on your life?” (This is one of the questions I’ve been exploring in my recent series “Why Photography?“)

Robin (from Wisconsin) wrote this response.

I would first like to thank Bo for the opportunity to be a part of her “Why Photography” series.

Photography has brought immense joy to my life.  Every photo captures a moment that can never again be repeated.  Each is one of a kind.  Every image is unique or “peculiar” to a moment in time that is captured forever.  Every day I learn something new; every day I’m challenged just a little bit more; every day I’m motivated to try, try again.

Photography has certainly made me more visually aware of my surroundings.  And it is not always the most obvious subject that catches my attention.  Sometimes it might be a blade of grass, or a clump of weeds that might otherwise be overlooked.  But that’s the wonder of photography.  It’s the opportunity to take the ordinary and make it extraordinary.  Or then again, to take the extraordinary and reduce it to its simplest elements of line, texture, light, or color.

One of the most beneficial compliments I ever received was from an experienced photographer who told me that “technically your photos are awful; but I can’t stop looking at them.”  I smile whenever I think of that statement.  Because in the end, photography not just a photograph of a subject, but is a very personal expression of the photographer.  Most anyone can learn the technical aspects — exposure, rule of thirds, and so on.  But it’s the story and the emotion that I most desire to convey through an image.  Every day I study dozens of photos from professionals and amateurs alike.  And I find that the best photos are those which evoke the strongest emotion: joy, anger, laughter, wonder, awe, a smile, a gasp, a sigh.

Life moves by us at such a rapid pace.  Photography slows that pace down and stops it in its tracks, even allowing us to relive a moment whenever we want.  Whenever I download a set of photos off my camera for the first time I fall in love with photography all over again.  I am usually pleasantly surprised what the camera has captured. Sometimes it’s exactly what I wanted to capture and sometimes it’s totally unexpected.  But it’s always, always exciting.

I am very much a beginning photographer and so I have much to learn.  And at the present time, macro photography gives me the greatest satisfaction.  But short term goals also include branching out into abstract photography, and in particular macro flower abstracts.  And since winter in Wisconsin tends to curtail outdoor photographic opportunities just a bit, I want to use the upcoming winter months to put together an indoor area for flower photography.  I also want to use this winter for learning better post processing techniques.   My long term goals include figuring out how Bo achieves that beautiful texture on her flower photos.  🙂

Robin photographs in the Ocooch Mountain region of Wisconsin. (Ocooch Mountains is a term that’s applied to the unglaciated, driftless area of southwestern Wisconsin.) She publishes her nature photography on her Peculiar View Blog.