Why I'm so passionate about landscape photography
This is my Mamaw….
She was one of the most sweetest, funniest, kindest, most patient and loving person I have ever known. Her laugh was contagious and the love between her and my papaw is one for the story books.
She would hold me while I was sleeping and run around, pulling me and my sister in an old red wagon.
I can remember one summer my family went on a beach vacation, but this vacation was extra special because mamaw and papaw were going with us. This was the farthest my mamaw had ever travel and the first time she ever saw the ocean. I still remember standing on the balcony with her watching the waves.
I can still picture her sitting on their couch, flipping through a Rachel Ray cookbook while watching Samantha Brown on the travel channel.
She is a big driving force behind my photography…. and I didn’t even realize it until last year.
In 2005, I traveled to Italy with a friend and her family. It was the farthest anyone in my family had ever traveled at that point, so of course I took a ton of pictures along the way.
After getting back, we took a trip up to see mamaw and papaw and of course I brought all my pictures along.
At that time my mamaw didn’t have as much energy as she use to because she was battling cancer.
I remember her sitting in the corner of the couch flipping through all the pictures, listening to all my stories and asking questions. She flipped through that photo album I don’t know how many times.
I didn’t realized how much she loved looking at all these pictures and how excited she was for me to take that trip until later. After her funeral, a man came up to my sister and I and said “You must be the one that does music (directed to my sister) and you must be the one that travels” (looking at me).
She was so proud of us and everything we had done.
She never got to travel much but through the pictures she got to experience my travels and have a little escape of her own, from all the stresses that were happening at the time.
She is a big reason why I love photography and sharing it with others. Every picture has a story behind it and has different meanings to different people.
Mamaw, as well as all my other grandparents, have had a huge influence on my life. Although, all but one of my grandparents have all passed, I will always have the photos and memories to look back on.
