In keeping with November’s theme of “Gratitude,” I just wanted to express how happy and grateful I am to be the newest Muse here at Mortal Muses!

When I was thinking about this month’s theme, I realized that, in spite of life’s difficulties, I have so much to be grateful for. My father passed away recently, which has led me to a place in my life where I am constantly digging up wonderful memories, which has helped me develop an entirely new appreciation for the importance of a photograph. Though losing my father is fresh on my heart, and looking at family photos is still very painful, I am so thankful to have those photos.

I think it’s safe to say that we are all here because of our shared love of photography, and, as photographers, I think it’s also safe to say that we have developed a certain amount of awareness of the world around us. We see beauty in places that others might (read: often do) overlook, and, even if we don’t have our camera with us, we are constantly noticing beauty, and making mental notes to revisit things with our cameras.

I have been having some difficulty getting back into the swing of things with photography since I lost my father. I feel as though I’m having to re-learn how to be a photographer, which, in some ways, has been a blessing in disguise. I’m finding that I am much more aware of the details around me. In the past, I used to think in terms of one photograph being sufficient for me to express myself, but right now, I’m finding that I am enjoying pairing multiple photographs with each other, because I have begun rediscover so much beauty in my surroundings, that I want to show more than one image at a time. I consider them to be little vignettes, adding up to a bigger picture.

 

With all of that said, I am grateful for photography. I am grateful for the family photos I have to help me remember my father, and I am grateful for the awareness and appreciation for the beauty in life that photography brings to all of us. I am also grateful for the way in which photography brings all of us together in a shared passion for the medium of photography itself, but also in our shared appreciation of the world around us.

~Anna~