We’re All Different

We all have our own lives: different jobs, families, children… But there was something that brought us together. I’ve never been particularly fond of the word “hobby”, though I can’t think of a better one just now. We made videos and took photographs. Some of us went out specifically to shoot; others took a camera on their travels or simply noticed something along the way.

Then we’d bring what we’d shot to the forum. And the conversation would begin. What made the light look like that? Would a different time of day have worked better? How had the colours turned out? We talked about editing, shared techniques, showed our own versions. Sometimes the conversation took unexpected turns: from the time of day you took the shot to the mood you were in when you looked through the viewfinder.

We exchanged ideas. One person saw it this way, another saw it differently. We could spend ages discussing a single image, then its creator would post another — and the conversation would carry on. Through those photos and videos, we gradually got to know each other: what we noticed, how we saw the world, what we wanted to hold on to.

I’m not sure “hobby” quite covers all of that. You can turn the camera off… put it back in the bag… but you’re not exactly shooting for the Louvre. You want to share your photographs, what you’ve felt, the way you see the world. Hear what others think, talk about why you took the shot that way. Or just spend time talking to people who care about the same things. And that’s worth a lot.

In the end, it was part of how we lived. And the forum was part of that life.