Howdy there!
I don’t know about you, but I just feel like it’s a good idea for some Spring cleaning. As a many photographer knows the struggle of keeping up with file storage and cycling out old photos to deletion, I often visit some of my “recently” older work, if that makes sense (e.g. the stuff that I created two years ago as opposed to seven). I love seeing my progress through the time I’ve been a photographer, however, I was shockingly surprised to find some of these rather ANCIENT files that I had created— the dark ages of my work. I remember at this time, these were some of my first experiments with photoshop, manipulation, and self portraits.
Who doesn’t like a good levitation photo?
Oh man, I remember being particularly proud of this photo: it was my first one using my Photoshop free trial AGES ago. Haha!
As one can tell from these older images (circa 2011 and 2012), I’ve always known that I wanted to create compelling stories through photography. However, sometimes the road to inspiration and creation can be hindered by the fog of social media and comparing myself to the next photographer and their accomplishments. Finding these photos helped lift the fog—they inspired me of the journey that I’ve had as an artist and a person. I look back at the past with a smile, remembering the early times of my career and my interaction with the world and look forward with the inspiration, the drive, and the re-ignited passion of pursuing my art for myself.
Do you have any thing that you look back on to remind yourself of the journey that you’ve had, whether it’s going through life, a career, a relationship, etc.? If you have an older photo, say on Instagram or Facebook, feel free to tag me (@chris.rivera on Instagram and Christopher J. Photography on Facebook). Or, if it’s a non visual thing, leave a comment and let’s start a conversation! :)
Until next post!
xoxo
