What am I doing?

Yeah, I don’t really know if I’m being totally honest. An impulse purchase in February 2020 has evolved into something I now obsess over, to the point of getting out of bed stupid early in order to photograph a sunrise, in the middle of nowhere, in the rain. I can’t explain it.

Market Street Bridge at Night

One of my first long exposure “experiments” taken February 2020.

Stranger still, I’m sitting here typing a BLOG post (what year is it exactly and what iteration of Kenny is this writing for enjoyment for the first time in over 15 years?). What is a blog in 2021, and what purpose does it serve? Do people still read blogs?

Writing is something I used to take quite seriously - hell, so was art in general - but 10+ years of working a full time office job and obsessing over other things like rock climbing and competitive cycling have put a damper on the creative side of my brain to no small degree. Not that those are bad things, they just scratch different itches.

I suppose, on some level, this is therapy for me. The world has gone absolutely insane this year and picking up a craft like photography has helped direct a healthy amount of brainpower toward something creative and positive, when I’m not pounding my keyboard frantically at my day job or reading soul-crushing news headlines.

Anyway, taking pictures has been wonderful and it seems to have helped my mental health in one way or another since the world got sick(er). If nobody ever reads this or sees my photos, that’s perfectly fine with me, though I would love the opportunity to share some of the beauty I’ve rediscovered for myself on this planet.

Despite the "grumpy” theme, which is meant to be tongue-in-cheek, I am extremely grateful for the things I have, the encouragement I’ve received from friends and family, and the places I have access to. I’m privileged to be able to do this - that’s not lost on me.

We’ll see where this goes - the blog, that is. I don’t see putting the camera down any time soon and perhaps a little story-telling will pair nicely with it. At worst, it’ll be cathartic dump truck of self-indulgent content; but my true hope is that it provides at least a modicum of inspiration for a new photographer somewhere out there. I’m still very new to photography myself, and continue to learn and struggle with it every day. If you’ve read this far, thank you. I hope this becomes a fun, meaningful thing over time.