Rekindling The Flame
I am a photographer — a hunter of stories.
Years ago, I found an unexpected passion and creativity that was easy for me to express through the lens of a camera.
At the time of the original awakening, I was someone fascinated by history and things historical.
With a camera, I found a way to recapture history by taking photos in a way that (for me) would transport a person to another place. Freezing time to a point where the person could look at the photo and wonder what things would be like.
In the begining, it was river history and the river boats called batteau that reached out and brought the images forth.
Then it moved outward to embrace other forms, often seeking to capture simple moments or scenes from both life and the world around us — freezing those moments in time.
One thing led to another and soon I was telling stories through images as a photojournalist.
And then also as a photo columnist.
Over the past few years, things came to pass that some of the passion began to fade a little with the flame growing dim.
There were actually days that left me wondering how much longer I would actually want to remain behind the lens.
The only real photos I captured at that point was for work.
Something of myself seemed to be waning as well.
But then things changed and I again to venture forth into the world with the eyes of an explorer.
Geocaching was like another key that fit the lock that opened another door that led to the same room, only from a slightly different angle.
When I go geocaching, I found that I am again exploring life much as I did as historical reenactor — both river and Civil War.
I find that I carry a camera with me most of the time again and see images more easily, feeling the ebb and flow of those images (and stories) around me.
I feel life within the creative spirit and actually feel that it is no longer just at work, but in most aspects of my life.
I have said before that I am a hunter of stories and that is what I truly believe.
I hunt with a camera, but it is not the camera (or job) that defines the vision through which I hunt.
Geocaching is like a key that helped to reopen that creative door, but it is I who chose to again walk through.
This past Friday, I went to Lexington before work and hiked the Chessie Nature trail in the hope of finding a cache hidden between it and the river.
I relished in the adventure as well as in finding that cache.
It was not as easy as I first thought it would be as the GPS signal was bouncing off the rock face that rose above one side of the trail and the trees lining the river bank on the other.
It was likely this adventure that caused the pieces to fall into place for me as I realized how much I visually (and spiritually) enjoyed the river views afforded me from my vantage point on the trail.
You see, it had been raining that day and this caused a fog to rise and hover just barely above the water in certain places along its course.
It was a mystical experience that in itself transported me to another place.
I captured several images of the river and the journey itself, but instead of having my large Nikon camera with me, I hunted this day with a small point and shoot.
This in no way deminished the photos … the moments and stories … I captured.
After leaving the cache site, I decided to go adventuring around Lexington for a limited time before returning to Staunton for the start of my shift at work.
I visited both the ruins of Liberty Hall as well as Stonewall’s Tomb at Stonewall Jackson Memorial Cemetery.
In addition to having plans to use both in the creation of new Geocaches yet to be listed, both are historical sites that I have a great deal of fun in capturing.
The flame within me has indeed be rekindled and again burns brightly as I actually get a great deal of enjoyment in capturing these images once more and sharing them with the world.
It is good to again enjoy the challenge of the hunt.
