2016 - A time to Refocus

Life seemed to get in the way of my photography during 2015 which although disappointing meant that I was busy pursuing and focusing on other areas of my life. (My one and only blog was well over a year ago!!)

Setting up life in a America and building a new company has taken a huge amount of time and dedication which has left very little time to reach some of my photographic goals over the past twelve months.

"It is funny how we complain about not enough hours in the day yet we do always find the time to do the things which seemingly take no effort."

 Both Anissa (my wife) and I have spent the last few months reinforcing that we must practice what we preach to others which is a better life work balance. The 24/7 world we live in where we are glued to a device which bombards us with social media, email and information can sometimes make you feel that you are living in a parallel universe.

Technology has made the world so small  in many ways which for us living thousands of miles from friends and family is amazing but we must learn to balance these technological advances with traditional methods of communication and social interaction. 

Photography has also changed with technology and the quality of images we can take with an Iphone is incredible, however, there is a fine line between taking a selfie in order to get a quick fix of social media attention verses a carefully crafted photograph which captures a scene of natural beauty or human interaction.

I live in one of the most beautiful places in the world with the most amazing scenery, wildlife and natural light you could ever wish for, yet in the last year I can't recall many occasions when I stopped and appreciated it. 

2016 is a year to refocus, to slow down and be grateful for the here and now.  The future may hold many wonderful opportunities but it is the present that counts. 

I hope that a year from now my website is populated with images and story's which reflect this sentiment and captures these moments in time.

I wish all my family and friends a very happy, prosperous and exciting 2016.

Best wishes

Ben 

Bingo! - my first blog

Ben Meyer

Photography has always been a passion of mine from the very first moment my granddad (Bingo) put a camera in my hand as a young child.

I remember he used to have his own darkroom in his house and I marvelled at how he made an image appear on a piece of paper by submerging it in a solution, it was like magic!!

Bingo was a quirky character who would always be hiding behind his viewfinder snapping away at family gatherings. I think it was his way of connecting with the family and I'm glad he did as we now have hundreds of photos which document our times together.

Was  he a good photographer?

It all depends on how you define good, is it technical perfection or more about capturing a moment, telling a story or evoking an emotion.

Bingo

The following images are his so I will let you be the judge, however from my point of view, I'm not concerned with any imperfections with the lighting, framing or other technical aspects of the images below, I'm looking for the story and the emotion he was trying to document. 

As I move forward and look to further my photographic skills I will keep these principles as my motivation.  I seek to capture images which are as natural as possible and which document the moments as they happen.

Learning the technical aspects of photography is an on-going process and I'm excited to see how my portfolio develops as I evolve as photographer.