HomeSick : My New Home is Sick

So it was the first week of cold weather in Provo while in Texas it’s a beautiful 91 degrees. I was actually having a really hard time because it was so rainy and cold this week that it made me miss my home more than I normally do. My brother played a tremendous football game, my grandparents were in town, all my friends had come home from their in-state schools, and I was stuck in the middle of dreary-town, Utah shivering under a blanket doing my homework. Now this sounds worse than it really was, I have always wanted to live here so I shouldn’t be complaining, but it wasn’t until I remembered one of the main reasons why I wanted to move here in the first place that my mood flipped around. I have lived here for almost a month now and I have only been up the canyon once, so when my roommate offered to drive up the mountains so I could see my first snow fall, I was more than stoked. I guess the adventurous part of me isn’t all that adventurous just for the heck of it, it is honestly because I want to photograph my surroundings. As soon as we dropped into the canyon I could feel my heart race, this was the pure excitement and joy that I had been needing all week to cure my homesickness. I had been so wrapped up in the thought of “home” that I had disregarded the new home that was ready to welcome me into its beautiful snowy mountain tops and fast changing fall leaves.

I could feel us crawling up the mountain by the way the rain was changing. For a good while it was a constant drizzle, but then as we climbed to Sundance level, the rain turned to slush, then right before we reached the 8,000 foot top, fluffy snow coated the trees, the brush, the car, and my hair. I couldn’t contain my excitement, the minute I saw a flake of snow I had Patricia (my roommate) pull over so I could feel it for myself. I was like a little kid in a candy shop, I couldn't believe that it was actually snowing in September! I was near crying I was so excited!

Now I’m sure you're wondering what this typical BYU freshman story has to do with photography, and if you are wondering this then you must not know me very well. Everything I do revolves around the idea of me photographing it. I literally bring my camera everywhere, it is strapped to me at all times just in case a photo-op announces itself, if you don't already do this then I suggest reading my previous blog. I was in hog-heaven while I was surrounded by low hanging clouds, snow, colorful trees, and picturesque valley’s. My eye was glued to the viewfinder, I was pressing the shutter like a maniac, and the speed at which I was changing my manual settings was like I had a 6th sense with my camera. This is why learning your settings is such an important skill, it allows you to decrease the time it takes you to take a photo in manual mode so that you can capture the ideal shot in that moment.

I guess the big picture of this blog post is to get out and be adventurous, but don’t forget your camera! Life is full of beautiful things and they are at your very fingertips. Even if you don’t live in a very picturesque place, you can still make the most of what you got, believe me, I lived in Weatherford, Texas my whole life there isn’t much to photograph there except for cows and dead grass. If you keep your heart and mind open to the creative thoughts that you have, you will be able to make something out of nothing. Keep trying, then try again, and then finally... try again! You can do it if you just try, I promise.