Life Altering Moment

Looking back at the beginning, it is hard to imagine where it all started nearly 20 years ago…………..

From the moment my feet hit the rich red soil of Africa, back in 2004, I was changed. The sights, the smells, the sounds, the raw and wild spaces; it was a magic that filled my soul in a way nothing ever had. Days later, in the heart of the Serengeti, at our private mobile tent camp surrounded by the greatest migration in the world I sat in awe and said to myself, “ I am going to be a wildlife photographer and live one year of my life in Africa.”  This statement was quite bold or rather naive, as I had never even used a professional camera before the one I bought for this vacation.  Nonetheless, I began to dream of a life in Africa. 

Little did I realize how powerful that statement wold become in redefining my life

My infatuation with Africa began as a young child, half way around the world, in Southern California. We had a real wildlife safari park near our home filled with predators and all the African Wildlife called, “ Lion Country Safari.” My father would load us into the wood paneled station wagon, with a packed lunch, and we would self-drive through the safari park. These backyard adventures lead to never missing an episode of Mutual Omaha’s, Wild Kingdom, collecting and reading numerous books about Africa, and seeing and collecting every DVD of movies about Africa. 

My path in life took me to a career in fashion as a clothing and textile designer; I was a creative and I struggled with the idea of an academic based career.  A workaholic, I traveled extensively in this career through Europe and Asia, and the occasional vacation was usually spent in an exotic beach setting. Life took on a fast pace and the years seamed to blend together when there was a painful bump in the road.  Waking and talking through it with a great friend, she advised, “to go do something you always wanted to do.”  That night I booked a safari to Africa. 

Several months later I received a packing list. On the list it recommended having a good camera and lens with a minimum of 300mm zoom. I knew absolutely nothing about cameras and photography so I walked down to my local camera shop. I bought what they recommended, hired the sales person to teach me how to use it, and off to Africa I went. 

A life Altering Moment followed by the courage to see the dream through.

I began the career transition the moment I arrived back in the US, but it would take another 7 years of hard work and numerous hurdles to become a full time professional photographer specializing in Africa.  We are all presented with at least one life altering moment, but fear of change and comfort of the known stop many from taking a leap of faith. 

Had I not found the courage to chase my dream at all cost, I may have missed living and experiencing some extraordinary moments in my one and only life. The challenges have been constant, but the world has changed so drastically that if I had played it safe, stayed in my career and waited to travel when I retired (more than the allotted 3-4 weeks a year), a lot of what I have experienced would have vanished by then. I would be lying if I did not confess there have been many, many times I have wished to give up and have back that high paying stressful job and travel for fun, but when I am looking through images of over a decade and the precious memories created with so many people, I cannot image erasing them.