Why do I take photos? Why do I carry around heavy, clunky gear to wild places, to be battered by the elements? Why do I then spend time sitting in front of a screen, sifting through images to find the ones that shine?

It’s for moments like these.  

It’s for evenings when the sky is so wide, so endless, that I feel like a drop in the ocean we’re sailing across. When the vastness of our blue planet makes itself fully known. It’s for when the sinking sun is setting fire to the clouds, dying the sky gold and pink, shimmering on the surface of the rolling sea. When the vibrance of the world without over-cranked saturation sliders is burning itself into my mind. 

It’s for when an escort of albatross follow our ship into the night, plunging forwards into the darkness. When they hang and soar effortlessly on sleek pointed wings. For the moments when, despite a rumbling engine below, the quiet of the wilderness seeps in to my head, and everything else fades away. 

It’s for spending time with friends, laughing and joking together as the brisk breeze of the southern ocean swirls around us. It’s for the moments when they become another pair of eyes for me, calling out albatross as I swing back and forth with my lens, trying to capture the beauty of what surrounds us. It’s for chill-pink cheeks and frozen fingers stuffed in pockets. For ‘romance sunsets’, and the effervescent thrill of seeing the same joy reflected in each other’s eyes.

It’s for in-jokes and excitement, sharing the thrill of the wilderness. It’s for shared adventures that bring us together. It’s for memories that last forever. 

I take photos to find my place in the world. I take photos to share what I love, what I value. I take photos to remind myself that the world is so much more than the everyday lives we get caught up in. I take photos because I love making beautiful images. I take photos to tell stories. I take photos because we’re running out of time.

Most of all, I take photos because it’s as easy as breathing to hold a camera up to my face and be myself.

Because I wouldn’t be me if I didn’t.