I have long had an interest in photography. As a direct result of growing up in Connecticut's "quiet corner" we drove by a lot of farm fields on our way to almost everywhere. But there was a particular farm field on route 14 that always caught my attention. In the center of what seemed like endless acres of corn sat a massive oak tree. Now, am I sure it was an oak? No, I know literally nothing about trees, but the tree was very large and in my novice arborist mind, this makes it an oak. (You'll have to allow me this creative freedom for storytelling sake)
From the moment I laid my eyes on this oak tree, I wanted to photograph it. I wanted to take a picture of it in the winter, covered in snow and ice, in the fall with the sun shining off of its orange and red leaves, in the summer, in its green glory and in the spring after the frost had lifted and new life was daring to grow. All awhile being surrounded by nothing but rolling open land. The tree sat lonesome and I remember feeling ironically drawn to it.
To know, is to know that you know nothing. - Socrates
So that is when I knew I wanted to know more about photography. But years of whipping out the camera phone and point n shoot camera had built a false confidence. Ease, alone, assured me I knew all there was to know about capturing life on film. I never explored and I never identified the importance of educating myself in the craft.
This all changed, of course, on December 25, 2014 when I became proud owner of a dslr camera (thank you Drew! xoxo). Needless to say, I had to refer to the owner's manual to turn the thing on... and my confidence quickly eroded into humility.
That is when I knew I knew nothing about photography and that, I suppose, is where it starts....
