Delight in afternoon light

Waking up this morning I felt a bit deflated.

I have been giving what I shared with you yesterday a lot of thought.

I have come to realise more and more how important it is for me to be taking photos. I love taking photos. I love reporting. I love capturing the essence of what people are about. I love documenting things and events that are happening around me, around us. Some people are oblivious to it all. They don't see what I see.

Some object to seeing what I see. They don't see the meaning of it. This is the part that deflates me.

But I have also realised that I cannot let this disturb my mission.

I know I can catch a subject and bring another dimension to it. Honing in on a particular part of an overall impression is what I am good at.

So when I see things I feel the urge to frame it and snap it. And, bingo - you have a photograph - you have a story. You give the viewer of your image the opportunity to reflect, to feel.

My ultimate goal is purely and simply to inspire.

Day in day out for over 20 years I did that. I have had so many positive reactions to my books and my images. To which I always replied. "My images are only as good as what is happening in front of my lens."

"My job is to react, frame well and be aware of existing light."

There is nothing more exciting than having ones lens pointed at something and creating that magic connection between you and your subject. It is only a split second and it cannot be recreated. You miss it.. it's gone... forever. You see it, react to it and capture it... you encapsulate it forever.

How great is it then to be an observer, visually reporting on events?! It is what I enjoy most!

Now, with my reignited mission, I am reminded daily that I go through life seeing photos everywhere. It is as if I have my favourite lens permanently affixed to my retina :) I can't help but see photo opportunities everywhere. And, I feel the need to capture those.

Street photography heightens my visual senses even more. I have to go out and look, be alert at all times. I feel that my eye is becoming even sharper.

How easy it was photographing horses over fences or in a dressage arena.

With it came a sense of satisfaction, for sure. However, knowing horses and the sport as well I did, I felt it became a touch too predictable.

But back to yesterday's event. Remember the "unhappy polish woman"?

Well, today, I received a mail from her! Reading it has turned my feeling of slight deflation into one of hope. Specially hope for her!

I must share it with you in its entirety:

that is very interesting...yours mission!!!...and yours comments...You made me depresd and anhappy till I came back and enter the blog...sorry about that scene but it is just like....I could not belive it when i saw tthat lens looking straight at me doing that imberessing job...and You a photographer...doing pictures of what ever You like...not like me-doing this shit which I f.. have to...and my dream to do photography in my life.I am so tired of being a slave of parking...I am keep on looking...You as me what do I do...hardly trying to go back to normal...this rubbish killing my personality...sorry to going up set with the camera...I promisse to let You take one when I will could to finish this distress........Yours blog makes me cheer up at the end of the day.......thanks....................................................unhappy traffic worden

sorry about my english

and of course I replied:

Hi no longer as unhappy traffic warden,

Thank you so much for your e-mail.

Your words touched me and I am sure that if your desire to be a photographer is as strong as I can sense it is, then you will make it happen!

You are young and full of energy - use this wisely and don't let others rule your life. You are the master of your life - Don't give anybody the power to shatter your dream.

We all go through stages in our life where things seem so hard and we don't know how to get our life back on track. The truth, however, is that we can get the life we deserve. Yes, it takes a bit of effort and a firm believe that we can.

I have been practicing "Nichiren Buddhism" for a few years.This has helped me tremendously.

Please go to this link and watch the video. Am sure it will inspire you. If it inspires you enough you are welcome to come to my house this friday, tomorrow sept. 25th - I am hosting a Buddhist meeting and you are very welcome to attend.

Let me know how you are doing and let me know if you want to come.

regards, Elizabeth

PS your English is great.

is case the hyperlink did not work ... here is the link again

http://www.sgi.org/sgi-dvd.html

So off I go on today's mission. Check in later.

What a delight! Donovan was over the moon when I asked him whether I could take some pictures of him in action.

Donovan is the best, most conscientious decorator I have ever seen at work.

I have watched him near to two months now as he's been working his way down the road I live on. He's on house number four! There is an undisputed consent that our road will be renamed : Donovan Street.

I have a whole series of Donovan - the image I ended up choosing shows the concentration on his face in the soft afternoon light. I made sure I had a bit of the hedge in the bottom of the frame so to add a bit of colour. Looking very carefully one can even detect a drop of sweat on the end of Donovan's nose!