Transitions, Transformations and a Little Photography
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Maintaining Balance
I recall that during my working life I was constantly searching for balance - I felt the pull from work and an even bigger pull from home to have my attention. I will admit that there were a lot of times when I didn’t get the balance right and I feel that my home life suffered as a result. In addition I think that my mental and physical wellbeing suffered - not just from the actual stress of the situation, but also the additional stress of feeling guilt and regret for not being present for my family.
Follow up on photography retreat
Well I’ve been back from my photography retreat in New Brunswick for a few weeks now and I’ve finally gotten around to writing about how it went. Meeting up with someone you know primarily from an online space can sometimes be challenging, especially if either or both of you are presenting a “perfect” image of yourself, however I was pretty sure that Heather and I would get along well and not have that awkwardness associated with figuring out what is real and virtual about another person - we’re both rather down to earth and direct people which is refreshing to encounter.
Time on the water.
I grew up in Windsor, Ontario which is close to the Great Lakes and filled with water bodies. I spent time in my youth canoeing (back country camping trips to Algonquin Park) and sailing (lasers up to 35’ sailboats on the lakes). It was a source of joy and peacefulness for me. I recall the sound of the wooden paddle dipping into the water repeatedly - there is nothing quite as calming as gliding through a mirror like lake in the early morning mist - that slight crisp chill in the air and muscles that are stretching and warming up under the exertion. I have a very visceral reaction to spending time on the water.
Having a new inspiring space
In our old house I had a nice set up in the basement for my photography editing and gear storage. It wasn’t a typical basement as we’d put in oversized windows with the renovation in 2012, so it was very light and airy. There was a patch of hostas in front of the window as well as some ferns that made it lovely to spend time there in the summer months - plus it was always so very cool. Even on a rainy day the view was inspiring.
Photography Retreat Trip prep
This feels like a very full year and although some of it was planned there has been some unexpected aspects (like moving house) and before these unplanned events I had several trips in the calendar including a photography retreat to New Brunswick.
I have been part of a really supportive online photography community A Year With My Camera which I highly recommend for new and experienced photographers. One of the many things that I appreciate about being part of this community is the fellow photographers I have gotten to know
Iceland Trip in Review
This is my second trip to Iceland for landscape photography and while I expected it to be different than my visit in December, I was not prepared for how different. We took the southern ring road as the northern route is not suitable for tourist travel until the summer (i.e., rough roads that can be quite impassable during rough weather - especially without a 4x4 vehicle), so I was able to revisit some of the locations from my first trip.
An Exploration into More Creative Photography
When I first picked up a camera I was very intent upon learning about the exposure triangle and how to ensure that I got tack sharp images that froze motion. I was excited to venture away from shooting in Auto mode and I learned about aperture priority, shutter priority and even shooting in manual mode.
Strength Training and Photography?
I have always been active, however I wouldn’t describe myself as particularly fit. There hasn’t been a consistency or variety to the type of physical activity I do on a regular basis - I like walking, hiking, skiing, snow shoeing, bicycling, kayaking, and yoga, but I tend to be a casual or intermittent exerciser at best.
Arrived in Iceland for my Photography Trip
After a lot of planning and anticipation the time for my Iceland trip finally arrived. I must admit that it was a wee bit stressful leading up to this trip as Kory and I were negotiating to buy a new home (timing is never good for these things it seems). Regardless, we made it through the challenges (yes we’re going to be moving!) and I managed to remember all the right things to pack before flying to Vancouver and then on to Reykjavik.
Heading to Iceland
My first trip to Iceland was in December 2022 and I have posted some of my images in this gallery (Iceland). I had a wonderful time and it was actually my first photography focused (sorry about the pun) trip. This was such a different kind of trip for me as there was a lot of time for photography and the pace was much more relaxed than a sightseeing trip.
I found the quality of light was pretty amazing and very different from what I experience here in Western Canada.
Talking to other retirees about my passions
I can honestly say that 18 months ago I would never have imagined that I would be talking to other seniors about my photography passions and how I link it to physical and mental wellness, however I’m thrilled to have been invited to speak. In my other life (that’s how I think of my pre-retirement career), I often had to give talks and presentations - sometimes for groups up to 2 - 3 thousand people and even a few live interviews and conferences.
Funks, Negative Thoughts and Some Ways Out
There is a seductive nature to negative thoughts and energy. As humans we are naturally drawn to remember negative stimuli whether that’s events, words or actions. This is called the negativity bias which is our tendency to not only register negative stimuli more readily, but also to dwell on these thoughts. It makes sense when you look at it from an evolutionary perspective when we were motivated by survival to be attuned to negative/dangerous/life threatening things.
Being present and intentional
I think that one of the most frustrating responses to receive when asking why something is done in a certain way is “because this is how we’ve always done it”. My frustration arises because this response dismisses our ability to be present and innovate as the situation requires. It means that we are doing things out of habit rather than intention.
I found myself falling into this pattern once I retired.
Experiencing Kenya for the First Time
I was concerned about spending 3 weeks on safari with the main focus being photography and my non photographer husband becoming bored stiff, however I needn’t have worried as the trip became more about the experience and the people we met than the taking of images (though we did get some epic and special images). It ended up helping us to form an even deeper connection and we have both said that this was by far the most special trip we’ve made together.
Finding space and recalibrating
I’m an introvert by nature and while I can feel comfortable taking the lead in a large group setting or giving presentations in public this requires me to use a lot of energy and it can be quite draining. I have noticed that I re-energize by more quiet or solo activities like cooking, reading, hiking and definitely photography.
(As a side note: Susan Cain has written an excellent book about introversion called Quiet - I highly recommend it.)
Irritability, Cabin Fever and a Breakthrough
Initially I like these cold snaps that force us to stay indoors as I get to do things that I usually put off - like bulk cooking to stock the freezer with soups and stews (my favourite meal when it’s cold), reading a good book, playing board games or catching up on admin things or photo editing and courses. It is wonderful to have dedicated time to do these things for a few days and then......I find myself looking longingly out the window and starting to feel trapped.
Habits, Spontaneity and the Importance of Play!
This is one of those moments where I am grateful that I made the decision to retire and that I chose to pursue my creative passion rather than trying to continue to work in some fashion. It’s interludes like this where taking the opportunity to be spontaneous and follow a hunch results in fostering that curious playfulness that allows creativity to grow. It’s a habit that I’m building and as a result I believe I am a much more creative photographer than I was a year ago.
Rediscovering my creative mojo
How did that happen? How did I lose my way from being curious, playful and imaginative to becoming successively more restricted in what I would show the world? Fred Rogers (Mr. Rogers’ Neighbourhood) is quoted as saying that “Play is often talked about as if it were a relief from serious learning. But for children play IS serious learning. Play is really the work of childhood.” I came to see play as a break from the seriousness of everyday life - now I was having to rethink its role in my life.
How it all began….
So you want to write a blog? The question kept circling around in my head - Why? What do you have to say? Who will read it? There’s so many blogs out there already! My inner critic was on overdrive - loud and vocal about raising self doubt and making me wonder if this really was a good idea. This blog’s future definitely looked uncertain.
Let me give some background to explain how I got to this point. I’ve had a very challenging few years as I came up to retirement - firstly coming to the decision to retire and then actually doing it!