THE GIFT OF PHOTOGRAPHY by Brenda Tharp

(c)Brenda Tharp

The workshop participants looked at me with surprise. I asked my question again and told them to write down their responses. It was an exercise that had nothing to do with a camera or f-stops, and it was unusual. Since this was a workshop on learning to see creatively, my students figured their thoughts must be important and off they went to write.

Each time I’ve assigned this exercise, the answers to that question continue to inspire me. In the anonymity of unsigned papers, emotions and heartfelt truths come out in the written word. “To be closer to flowers and plants and all living things is exciting to me. Somehow, as I am learning to see more with my camera, I am also learning to see more without it,” wrote one participant. Another student wrote, “I photograph so I can attempt to portray the essence of my subject, to try to find its spirit.” Still another stated, “…The process allows me to express my connection to the spirit of place, the spirit of time, and the spirit of people. As this connection expresses itself through the images, photography becomes an expression of my spirit, my timelessness, my humanity.” Wow.

(C)Brenda Tharp

Time and again, similar thoughts are written down in the workshops, and, in the process, vision and purpose are clarified. For many, it’s not about making a living from our pictures. Nor is it simply for entry in salons or club competitions. The reason for creating a photograph is to convey our personal view, our reaction to what we see–i.e. the emotional experience of something. Photography serves to stop time, to encapsulate a moment and make it stay. It allows us to share with others what we saw and felt.

That experience, that connection with a moment in time, is a wonderful gift for the photographer to receive when capturing the image. And when those pictures we make are shared with others, in any form – they can continue to be gifts. Whether it’s a framed print, a note card, calendar, exhibit or visual presentation, the photographs you make can be and should be shared.

(C)Brenda Tharp

While photographing brown bears (grizzlies) in Alaska’s Lake Clark National Park, we were following a mom with two cubs. Another group in the distance caught the mom’s attention and while she was watching carefully, the shortest cub decided to find a new way to see the world. It was on her back for only about 30 seconds before she ‘tossed’ it off, but I got the moment. The guide commented they had never seen that behavior before. What a gift we got with that moment!

(C)Brenda Tharp

While leading a photo tour on a boat in southeast Alaska, we spotted a spy-hopping humpback whale. As we neared the whale, it rose vertically from the surface, looked at us, and slowly slid back into the depths of the ocean. Moments later, it rose again, and we found ourselves peering into the eyes of a magnificent being.

The experience was phenomenal, repeated for over thirty minutes. What a gift–to witness this whale’s curiosity about us and observe it so closely! Photography forces us to look more closely at the world around us. It gives us license to be curious about our environment and the lives of other people. It presents us with an opportunity to become experts at observation. In the words of Albert Einstein, “…Never lose a holy curiosity.” As one workshop participant wrote, “Photography is my way of exploring my world. Framing pictures helps me to mentally zoom in on things around me, and makes me more aware of people’s emotions and activities. In a sense, it makes me more interactive with my environment.”

(C)Brenda Tharp

Being a photographer opens many doors of opportunity for us to learn more about people, to connect with them on different levels. We can bridge the gap between cultures and languages with our images and convey the spirit of a place. The gift of connection was given to me when a young monk was studying his prayers and he looked up at me. His soul-filled eyes express his spirit.

(C)Brenda Tharp

Photography also allows us to observe and record the grandeur of nature, to experience its gifts of beauty. John Sexton (a black-and-white landscape photographer) once said, “Go out and see what the gift is for today.” I did on morning when I walked in the dark along a rocky trail to an overlook in Zion National Park. At first, I thought it was a bust, as the sky lightened and I saw the cloud system rolling in. But just when I was about to give up, I got my ‘gift’ – LIGHT! It lasted only a short time but was oh-so-amazing. And beyond the gift of the photograph, I learned the value of showing up and waiting, just in case. Sometimes, the gift comes to us not only through the photographic process or the experience, but also when we finally share the photograph. When a woman purchased this photograph of moving water, she said, “…It speaks volumes to me and touched me deeply.” Her comments touched me deeply, so a gift was given and received in that moment.

(C)Brenda Tharp

As photographers, we have a wonderful opportunity to share what we find interesting and beautiful with others and, perhaps, to enrich their lives in some way, to open them to new ways of seeing the world. We have the privilege of using our photographs to make a difference in the world, to show what is right or wrong, to promote interest in change and preservation.

(C)Brenda Tharp

So, take a closer look at your own reasons for photographing. Sit with that question, and write whatever comes to mind.

Don’t try to edit what you write, just let the words flow as thoughts come to you. This simple exercise can help you realize what you want to say or do with your photographs. It can help you re-focus.

As one participant discovered, “Photography is a way of meditation, a way of moving deeper into the heart of my being, of understanding myself and the world. It has changed my way of seeing everything around me. The gift has been given. It has changed my life.”

-Brenda Tharp

Brenda Tharp is an award-winning freelance photographer specializing in location, nature and travel photography for a variety of clients. Her  images have appeared in many publications, including Alaska Airlines, Audubon, Northwest Traveler, Sierra, and Sunset. Her photographs have also been published in books by Chronicle, Michelin, National Geographic, Sierra Club, and others. Her commercial clients include those in the educational and travel markets, along with book publishers,corporations, design and advertising agencies.Her colorful and graphic photographs are regularly published in calendars and greetings cards for a variety of international companies including Chromazone, Museum Graphics, and Pomegranate Publishing.

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Brenda Tharp Book

She is the author of Creative Nature and Outdoor Photography.

Brenda will be teaching a workshop: Colorado Rocky Mtn. High: Fall in the San Juan’s, September 29 – October 3rd.

For 2011 workshops visit Brenda’s website: www.brendatharp.com

If you have an essay you wish to publish here, please drop us a note.

This article originally appeared in Apogeephoto.com