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| Photo: Sarah Hodges-Kolisnyk |
I grew up surrounded by amateur shutterbugs. As a youngster, I loved flipping through family photo albums and watching slide shows of Kodachrome images taken by and of friends and family. But it wasn't until university that my love of photography really 'clicked'. And when it did, the 'click' was so loud and clear that it changed my life.
Today, nearly 30 years later, I am still deeply fascinated by photography. And that is why I love coming to work at PrairieView every day. I get to do my thing while being surrounded by people who have the same passion for photography as I do. Together, we explore the medium, we help and encourage each other to grow as photographers, and best of all, we welcome new shutterbugs every week, people who are taking their first steps on what we hope will be a life-long journey of discovery through the lens.
PrairieView's Photo 1 course continues to be our most popular class among students and teachers alike. I believe it is because of the many 'clicks' that happen in each class. There is the 'click' of understanding what the buttons and dials on the camera do. There are the many 'clicks' that come with the shooting assignments and activities we do in class. But most of all, there is a sort of 'click' that Henry Peach Robinson described in the late 1800s when he wrote:
Let the honest student try to produce one picture of his or her own, which shall show an honest attempt to probe the mysteries of nature and art, one picture which shall show the author has something to say and knows how to say it, as perhaps no other living person could say it; that is something to have accomplished. Remember, your photograph is a rough index of your mind; it is a sort of rough confession on paper.
So when did your love of photography 'click in'? What keeps your interest in it today? Share your story in the comments section.
