How photography saved me

‘Your dad has a few days to live’, is the call I got in January, the beginning of summer in New Zealand. I booked a flight to England and flew out the same day, arriving 27 hours later in Newcastle Upon Tyne, where I was immediately driven to his care home.

We ended up sitting with him every afternoon for a month. (That’s so typical of my strong spirited dad).

I kept my sanity by working. Not burying myself in admin (note my marketing reduced to zero) but by working with photographers, editing their work, uncovering their essence and digging into what makes them tick. Doing the bits of my job I love.

I’d emerge from an edit newly renewed, with a smile on my face and the emotional strength to keep on keeping on.

It’s what we all do isn’t it?

Life events and times of crisis can have a different effect on everyone.

Maybe you’re the kind of photographer who is paralysed by situations like this and you can’t go near your camera. (Sometimes once you’re through the crisis you can throw yourself back into work with even greater gusto and creativity.)

Maybe you use the camera as a meditative tool, allowing it to help distract you.

Perhaps it’s the perfect vehicle to help you channel your emotional journey into something tangible, manageable.

For me, there is almost nothing that lights me up more than the core work I do – and that’s where I channelled my energy.

I am back in New Zealand now for a month before I head off to Chiang Mai, Thailand, for a personal project workshop which begins this week online.

Eight photographers making new personal projects with depth. For them I know this process will distract them from the stress of everyday life with family, and transport them into new ways of thinking about their craft.

For me, Chiang Mai will allow me to combine my two great loves, working with photographers and continuing my dad’s legacy – a passion for exploration and travel. I’ll even bring his walking boots.