As a photographer, I have an obsession with Trees (I spend a lot of time in the forest), Minimalism (urban perspectives) and Leaves (which I collect only from the ground).
These 3 niches complement each other and all together, complement me. The forest, roots me and balances me. Minimalism, gives me peace of mind. And photographing leaves, gives me a lot of joy.
Photography in all its perspectives is my greatest teacher. It helps me better understand who I am, how to look at life and probably most importantly how to simplify my existence.
A good example from the "What I learned through photography" category is the following (it's a simple story):
I was in the woods once and at one point I came across some flowers. They immediately aroused my interest and at that moment I wanted nothing more than to photograph them. They were just hard to reach, but I decided to give it a try.
I jumped a fence, went through some thorny plants. I scratched my feet and hung up my clothes, I tripped and scratched my hands too, but at least in the end I took some pictures.
After that, I continued my walk through the forest.
In about half an hour, I discovered an area with the same type of flowers, only this time they were on a much larger surface, easily and directly accessible and the lighting was great too.
On the one hand I was completely amazed at how beautiful they were. On the other hand I thought how unnecessary my previous action was. And that made me laugh. I had the feeling the forest was laughing with me and it seemed to whisper to me: there is always a new and better chance.
It was an "aha" moment. Sometimes the first opportunity doesn't necessarily mean it's the best one.
I understood it at the cell level. And it stayed with me.