Restorative justice, photography…and theory

Around this time last year I became interested in photography. I bought my first DSLR camera and began to explore things like ISO, shutter, aperture etc. While my very first photography experiences were rather random, it is only recently I started asking myself why it is that I revel in photography and what taking pictures means to me? So I cast my mind back to a conversation I had with my dear cousin the other day, who said that taking pictures makes you pause for a moment. As trivial as it may sound, it was a spot-on observation. Due to my work and studies I have long been exposed to a plethora of mind stretching stimuli. However I would often either keep these thoughts and observations unexplored in my mind or simply let them drift away. Also, for the past 12 years I have lived in vibrant but equally debilitating cities where very frequently it has been a struggle to find the time and to give meaning to what surrounds me. My cousin’s remark helped me to understand why I enjoy taking pictures and now I know that this is mainly because I have to stop, set the scene for discovery and then visualise my analytical exploration. And in my own amateurish way I always hope to get a picture that is worth a thousand words.