My relationship with photography...

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Drew
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Up late and thought I'd share this:


My relationship with photography is best described as that of those two children who grew up together and became childhood sweethearts.

Photography and I first met and started to play together when I was 6, I was given a yashica compact camera for a birthday present and introduced photography to my other friend, lego. As I grew up I played with the cooler mountain bikes and go-karts, but photography always hung around with us. When I turned thirteen, photography and I started to experiment a bit more with our relationship; I bought a Minolta film SLR with my birthday money and our relationship began to get more serious. We started one of those “two kids trying to earn a few quid” businesses together and we sold photos to the locals of the village I lived in.

In 2005 photography and I began to go steady, photography had a bit of a makeover and went digital in the form of a Canon 20D (damn she looked good). We went on holiday together to Canada and came back with some amazing (and some not so amazing) photos of the wildlife and landscape of the Rocky Mountains. The next Summer I left my 6th form with 6AS levels and a whole lot of pain, photography came with me but after a while things between photography and I were a little strained. People said we had “so much potential”, we were “perfect together” and that we “should make a commitment”, at the same time I was being told that I should “find a proper partner”, “do something real with your life.” What they meant was anything other than photography. That summer we parted ways, we’d still see each other occasionally, go on the odd day trip, maybe go and see a gig together, but we weren’t going steady anymore. I was with sales and swimming pools, I didn’t have the time for an old fling.

In September 2006 I moved to York to study an Access to Higher Education Course. Access was meant to be a new start, a nice normal course that would lead to a nice normal degree and a nice normal job. I stayed with Access for the whole year it asked of me, but that December I’d met photography again in a dark, underground, live music venue. We met up regularly in that dark smelly club, learning more about each other and trying out new things. When I left the Access course in the summer, photography and I got back together properly; we worked with some models, some friends, and eventually moved to Loughborough University together.

At Loughborough I had to balance studies with my relationship with photography, I finished the year with a 2.1 average and as a Hall Committee Member, Chair of Department Committee, Union Councillor, NUS Drafting Commission Delegate, and with a new role as Head of Photography at the SU magazine. This new position meant we could spend time together legitimately and through the 1st part of my second year we got closer and closer together. I realised I didn’t want to be doing anything but photography, all this time I’d had meaningless flings with the humanities, sociology in particular, but now I was ready to be faithful to my true love.

Sixteen years after we first met I admitted to myself how I really felt about photography and I started looking for a place we could be together. I didn’t want to just play around anymore; I wanted to make it work. Biting the bullet I decided to leave Loughborough and began to look at photography degrees across the country where we could spend the next few years together. After starting to go through the UCAS process I reached the point of having to write a personal statement.

I wrote this instead.
 
It sounds as though you and the misses are going strong together now you've finally made the commitment. Like any true relationship you'll have your trials and tribulations but if you work through them together you'll live a long happy life together.
 
Simon Mayo would have liked this for 'Our Tune'! Is there a favourite song to go with this?

Nice Story..................Have a wonderful life together. ;-)
 
Simon Mayo would have liked this for 'Our Tune'! Is there a favourite song to go with this?

Nice Story..................Have a wonderful life together. ;-)

Was actually half thinking of those "Changing Tracks" "Your Story" style radio shows as I wrote it. Hmmmm, not sure if there's a song... maybe poprocks and coke by Greenday? "Where ever you go, you know i'll be there..."
 
Was actually half thinking of those "Changing Tracks" "Your Story" style radio shows as I wrote it. Hmmmm, not sure if there's a song... maybe poprocks and coke by Greenday? "Where ever you go, you know i'll be there..."

:)
 
Wow, didn't know you were leaving. Good luck with the endeavour, I'm sure you'll do well in Photography with or without the degree :)
 
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