Last weekend I was shooting a wedding in Hobart, away from my family.
A photographer couple was kind enough to accommodate me at their 5-star Airbnb house at Blackman’s Bay.
It was a profound experience.
I love hanging out with Fred and Hannah because despite us being in the same industry, we tend to spend most of our time not talking about photography.
We talk about childhood, parenting, ambition, trauma.
Even if we do talk about photography, it will somehow end up being philosophical.
I guess we are confident enough to not let ego or insecurities get in the way.
( Plus every time they visit I take them on a magical food tour. So maybe our relationship is built on food and there’s nothing wrong with that too.)
This trip they made me stop and ponder what I value most in my life and if I’m focused enough to achieve it.
That sounds pretty heavy and somewhat pretentious.
I guess when you’re far away, you want to leave the trivial stuff at home and focus on a better self.
We also did it over a span of three days.
Over froyo, Indian food, smoothies, shooting our own weddings, sourdough doughnuts, fine dining Chinese, a walk along the beach.
At the end of the day, I returned to Melbourne feeling refreshed and optimistic while stocking healthier food in my pantry.
As I was typing this out my weekend sounded exactly like what others paid thousands for – a workshop.
Here’s the thing, you can pay money for a synthetic dose of inspiration.
Or you can seek real connections in life, nurture them, and find inspirations within what you sow.
