I took my camera with me, just because that’s what one does as a traveller, but I didn’t expect to be able to use it. It had been 8 years since I’d even touched my camera and I didn’t think I’d ever be able to work as a photographer again. Not only could I not look at a computer screen for more than a few minutes at a time before my eyeballs would start burning, but I was also no longer able to “see” as a photographer. I mean, I could still “see” in the conventional sense, but I could no longer see the world in a way that allowed me to derive meaning from what I saw. I couldn’t see beauty anymore. At the time, I was still experiencing significant cognitive deficits and one of the areas of my brain that was affected was the part responsible for creativity, abstract thought and visual understanding.

 

As I look back at these photos now, I realize how pivotal this trip was to my journey back to becoming a photographer. As I walked this land amongst sheep, cows, myriad wildlife and, most importantly, friends, that part of my brain that had been stuck in a dark fog for so long, was beginning to re-awaken to the light.

It wasn’t a linear path to recovery at all though. And although I was suddenly excited about photography again for the first time in years, I was still struggling with basic technical comprehension. Even the most basic camera operations - such as setting the right balance between aperture, shutter speed and iso - that normally were so automatic to me I barely gave it any thought, now felt like rocket science.

 

It’s funny to look at these photos and see more dogs than humans, as if to foreshadow my path towards becoming a pet photographer. After this trip, it took me another full year to actually pick my camera again. This time the inspiration came in the form of a global pandemic and a sudden surplus of free time. It’s been a fun journey re-learning my art with the help of so many sweet fur babies.