In my last post, I reflected a little bit about the landscapes and experiences that make us who we are; I know that much of who I am is tied to the landscapes of the Southwest. Since then, through a series of separate but related conversations with friends, I’ve been thinking more about a life lived to its fullest.
The path I followed in life was probably not unlike that of many others. I went to college, got a job, started a family, and now, here I am. There was a crossroads in my past where I could have gone another direction, working seasonal jobs in order to make ends meet between adventures. More than once, I almost went down that road, but today I fit my adventures in around other obligations. I accepted the trade-off: stability for freedom, as it were. Similarly, I would have been sacrificing stability, family, and possibly relationships if I had gone down the other road.
Trade-offs. Life is full of them. In most cases, they’re unavoidable, however what’s important (and this is where my conversations from this week come in), is to live a life with no regrets.
This week I also came across this video that’s been circulating online. Renan Ozturk is an accomplished climber, artist, and photographer, and was a 2012 nominee for the National Geographic Society’s Adventurer of the Year. The video below is his 2013 Director’s Reel, produced with the Camp 4 Collective. Quite frankly, on the surface, it’s badass. But, looking deeply, it’s a good reminder to live life to the fullest.
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How does this relate to photography? In photography, as in life, it’s all about the personal journey. Treating every image as if it counts, because it does. Putting only your best work forward. Thinking very hard before saying “no,” when an unforgettable opportunity comes up. Creating personal, meaningful images.
As I watch the video above, I wistfully wonder about what I would have found had I taken another path in life, and I know that other crossroads lay before me yet. In life, in photography, I want to always say that I have had a life well-lived.