The Tingly, Somewhat Messy Beginnings

Good, bad, ugly or totally magical many of us can still remember those first moments when we felt that stir inside for taking pictures.

Self-portrait November 2020

For me, it was the summer I turned 12. I was away with my Mum, brother and Grandmother. My family life was a hot mess, almost always but especially on holiday.

One afternoon wandering, shoulders slumped, from my room to the pool I remember experiencing the sensation of lingering longer for the first time.

There was a tug on my attention towards the flowers in the beds along the path. The water droplets from recent rain showers sat like mini paper weights magnifying the petals vibrancy and velvet surface while the palm trees brushed each one with light. If the visual pull wasn’t enough, the intoxication of time to lose myself in beauty stole my heart.

The freedom to be curious without need of answers.

The peace of a faraway destination that was all mine.

The exploration of nature, of light, of colour.

It was something my soul needed, something it craved.

And so my love affair had begun.

I sadly don’t have photographs from that time, I do however have some from my insatiable early years on Instagram which felt much the same. Exploration, curiosity and stolen moments.