After a busy Saturday not too long ago, I was sat on the sofa having a moment’s break. I said to my husband, ‘I should go shouldn’t I?  I’ll regret it if I don’t.’

The weather was fine and I knew conditions would be good for a sunset shoot. I’d already planned earlier in the day to go out and do some photography that evening but once I’d sat down at home with a cup of tea it was all too tempting to remain there.   But having not been out with my camera for a long time I mustered the energy to get up off my backside and go to the beach. Boy, did I not regret it. I loved being at the beach, the waves were lapping the shore, the sun was peering out from the clouds and my heart leapt with joy. I even took off my wellies and had a paddle in the sea. 

Most of the time, the joy in photography for me comes from the taking of the photo, being outside and getting creative in setting up a shot. However on this particular occasion, the joy not only came in the taking of the photo but also in the editing. In late 2022, I went on a photography workshop with a photographer based in Dorset and as part of the package, we had a video call where he showed me how he edited his photos. It had been a loooong time since I’d edited my photos in this way and it took some re-learning how to do it. I really enjoyed this and was so pleased with how the photos turned out. 

Fast forward a month or so and my husband, youngest son and I went for a walk somewhere we’d not been before. I took my camera and documented our walk. The weather was beautiful and through my rose tinted sunglasses, everything was, well, rosy. Taking off my sunglasses I realised the world in front of me looked different without my sunglasses and this is how my photos would look. I was slightly disappointed because I really like how the scene in front of me looked with a rosy tint. I then had a thought; I wonder if I can edit these photos in such a way that they resemble how I could see the world when wearing my sunglasses. 

I had fun playing around in my editing software, learning new things and getting creative with my editing style to achieve the result I wanted. Again, I loved how these photos turned out. My son’s tie-dye top and crazy hair certainly adds some retro vibes to these photos don’t you think? 

Something I have realised in the writing of this post is that I never regret being creative. I have times when I go out and attempt some photography only to come back disappointed with the photos. I have times where I sit down to write and the words I want to write don’t seem to come. It can be discouraging, disheartening and sometimes frustrating but never do I regret the act of creating. It’s all a journey and the act of doing something creative, no matter how small, always helps fill my cup. 

Creativity is a pursuit of finding joy and a journey I always want to be on.