Some changes occurred to the initial narrative of how I wanted to Tell My Story. This challenge presented itself to be one of reinvention, one of introspection, one of trust in the process, and one of failing and getting back up as many times as I have required.
Mother Nature has been since the longest of times the one and only who has seen me grow as a creative, always camera in hand. I would venture myself out into nearby forests, hike up a few mountains, go explore new trails, or travel to far away places and get lost in the local wilderness. Though I have had the chance to wholeheartedly enjoy and capture some of the most amazing adventures outdoors in the past, a few years ago I suddenly stopped taking my camera with me, and with it, I closed myself to any outlet of (creative) self-expression.
Months and years would pass by in utter silence, until not too long ago when I got the itch back. I missed those enchanting silent conversations I used to have while looking through my camera viewfinder capturing the beauty that was in front of me when being out in nature. Reminiscing on it for a long while, made me wanna feel it once again. And then, something happened.
The biggest and most wonderful chance to bring that more than a feeling back into life, my life, made its appearance in it by OM System. It came almost unexpectedly, and all of a sudden, I found myself geared up with the most elegant, light and inspiring photography equipment ever: a brand new black OM-5 (with far too many buttons and options I still have to try) paired along with a couple fantastic lenses: the M-Zuiko 12-200mm and the 25mm; each with just the right focal lengths to either play around or feel as safe as I used to while finding my way back to photography through its welcoming viewfinder and silent shutter button.
After a long time, I was gifted once again with the chance to, in a way, start from scratch on photography. To reconnect with it accompanied by not only curiosity, playfulness, failure and success in the midst of the best Mother Nature backdrops in town and abroad, but also by being backed by OM’s team, and Rania Rönntoft. She happened to be the greatest mentor I could have ever asked for and who has shown me the most empathy and patience along the journey. Her photography work and lifestyle has deeply inspired me during all the past months to get outdoors more often, embark on little daily adventures, don’t rush it, have fun and find joy in the little things, and helped me out by giving me some great photography and editing advice, and support all along the way.
To Tell My Story about reconnecting back to photography, has proven to be an adventure that my soul and being deeply craved for and wanted to experience for quite some time now. At times it became a challenge of having to slow down and take baby steps, of riding emotional ups and downs, of allowing myself to be as creative as I felt each day, to open up once again to vulnerability and self expression, and of following my intuition.
Then, in the very last week of September, I went to Iceland for holidays with my dad. A trip that had been planned a few months back to a country I had lived in before. Geared up with my OM-5, the lenses and the tripod I headed north not sure of how this adventure would go. Unexpectedly and to my more than surprise, it literally turned into the sought Reconnection back to Photography with Mother Nature’s purest and raw forms, ephemeral details, unique textures and vast grandiosity. This is for sure only the beginning.
I am truly honored and grateful for having had the chance to be part of the Tell Your Story Program this summer, and want to thank OM System and Rania for having believed in me bringing to life my photography project, also to the fellow photographers who have had the same chance as me and the inspiration their work and words of support have given me, and to everyone else who has joined me on any stage of the journey.
This is just a new tiny beginning for me in the photography field, and I am already curious to unveil how the process will continue to develop in the upcoming future, and how the next photographic adventure will look like and where it will take me.