Why I Take Photographs

The best days of my life have always been spent with my camera.

Is that crazy to say? It feels selfish to bare that honesty, given the cherished memories I have with loved ones. It’s odd because I know I’ve had such incredible moments without my camera but they don’t jump to the forefront of my mind. The ones I remember, that stick with me in vivid and tangible detail, are those spent with a shutter at my fingertips. Perhaps it’s because it is when I am my truest, happiest, self.

I suppose it’s because I’ve always captured what I am experiencing. And when what is happening at the time of me documenting these moments is so impactful and overwhelming, it becomes this 3D memory. Some of these moments are so intense that it renders me speechless once again from wherever I am in the world upon looking at my photographs. It then becomes obvious that the moment couldn’t possibly be separated from the threads of the photograph it’s woven into. That, is the reason I make photographs in the first place.

In a conversation with one of my closest friends this week, he asked me “have you ever found any other passions or hobbies you love, what else would you try?” immediately I knew there is nothing else in this world that would satisfy me, make me happier, or feels even remotely like such a perfect fit for me. Photography is creative, meditative, exciting, frustrating, rewarding and sometimes even just automatic. I have grown with the craft for 19 years, it is stitched into me now and I don’t believe I could love anything else like this.

I recently opted out of a trip I was supposed to go on and though I won’t go into the details of that, I had a gut feeling that I wouldn’t get that jelly-leg excitement, full body, heart racing, I-need-to-journal-and-capture-EVERYTHING euphoria that explodes through my body when my brain is at process capacity of the atmosphere in my surroundings. Subsequently I knew I wouldn’t be happy, whether the photographs were great or not, with the experience of photographing on that trip. I was gutted to miss out (in all honesty I was just angry I’d lost the money on the flight and could have booked it solo or with my boyfriend), but I experienced that indescribable joy in the Lake District instead, and my upcoming trip to Iceland will be jam packed with these days too.

One of the positive, euphoric days that speaks to me prominently was in July 2025. I woke up with the sun as I usually do when I am away with my cameras. I felt rested, excited and immediately ready to get up and get dressed. Neither sleep quality nor quantity seem to have any affect on me when I have a shoot day planned, I run off of adrenaline instead. It was hot, being summer in Italy, and I was lucky enough to catch the sun coming up over the mountains lining the western shores of Lake Como. I climbed out of my perfect picture window and sat precariously on the roof with my camera and a cup of coffee, waiting for the low sun rays to spill down onto the water.

There is a magic to being awake before everyone else, I don’t really know why but it reminds me of my idea of Disneyland. The world seems to hold this gorgeous fairytale air to it before everyone else wakes up and I can write my own story to every road, house and stairway when there is no one around. Photography satiates my hunger for being alive, my camera is the tool that nourishes the voice of ambition in my head. I walked about half a mile, down to the shore of the lake before sitting and letting myself be mesmerised by the gentle waves whilst I waited for the bus to take me to another gorgeous Italian town further north, excited to capture the day ahead.

I got off of the bus two stops early, eager to start my flow state. I walked for hours that day, about 45,000 steps around 3 towns. In 4 days by Lake Como I put holes in a pair of brand new shoes from walking so much. That’s why I say it’s meditative for me, because it takes over my brain in such a calming and subtle way, that I don’t even notice all the walking I’m doing. The exploring is almost passive, I am aware and thinking but I am in a total relaxed concentration that disconnects me from the distractions of life.

Lake Como and all of it’s surrounding towns are rich with the dreamy european aesthetic that is plastered across pinterest. Narrow streets, colourful buildings, endless greenery and layered in height. The ferry between towns is sceneic and retro and the light makes it the most perfect place to capture happenstance moments. I walked along the shores, through alleys and down roads between villages that held little hidden views. I love the pace of life in Italy, slower and more intentional. It is always a pleasure to be reminded that the way people exist in London is not common practice, the fast-paced, money hungry, go go go mindset isn’t favoured in a lot of other places. I’d love to return here soon, with a better eye for photographs and a bit more time, perhaps in the autumn.

My photographs hold a lot of sentimental value for me, I remember things I was thinking or fantasising about at the time I took the shutter, what I journaled about that day, small things that I wouldn’t normally remember if it was a day without my camera. When I capture the moment, it’s like my thoughts get frozen in with the data on my SD card. The photographs become richer with a part of my brain sprinkled into the landscapes. I remember so much of Lake Como for this reason, not only because the place itself is a gorgeous realm of life, but because the entirety of my moments there are also etched into the photographs.

I am so grateful, for my life, my camera, the opportunities it has given me. I feel so overwhelmed looking back at the past two years. I feel an intensifying appreciation for the craft as each month passes. I can’t believe how much of the world I’ve been able to see and capture, may life continue like this as long as it can. I get so excited at the prospect of photography in the next few years as my craft continues to evolve and improve; what photographs will I have captured, even by the end of this year?