Through the years, blogs have significantly evolved from being online diaries into being informative and reliable go-to sources of practically about anything online. More and more blogs have moved past being private repositories of emotions to become public venues to inspire, inform, educate, and share advocacies, values, and goals.
Be the change you wish to see in the world.
Gandhi
The quote most commonly attributed to Gandhi made me think of how I, as a blogger, can become an instrument of change and how my blog content can promote or inspire change in the community and the country. The change should definitely come from somewhere and that somewhere is me.
My goal has always been to share valuable, fun, and meaningful content that will inspire photography hobbyists, enthusiasts, shutterbugs, and chill adventurers like you (and me) to look beyond imperfections by appreciating the beauty of what’s around us, and to discover and tell untold stories through meaningful and powerful photographs.
As a blogger who hopes to promote change, it is my aim to be socially aware of the larger world we are a part of and hopefully be able to communicate that social awareness to everyone, and to use photography and storytelling as ways to add significant value to the community and the world.
What does that exactly mean?
Social awareness is an emotional intelligence skill that allows you to understand a certain situation and the people in it and to be able to empathize with these people’s emotions even when you haven’t experienced being in their situation yet.
Simply put, it’s your ability to see yourself in a larger world and to understand that there are so many people who don’t have the same life as you have even though you live in the same planet. When you’re socially aware of situations and emotions, you become more sensitive and you begin to care and see how you can help even in the simplest ways.
Every day, there are probably millions or even billions of photos getting shared on social media and the internet. People have their own reasons for taking and sharing photos. Other people take photos randomly because they want to share their fun moments while some people take photos intentionally because they want to share an important message or get their point across.
Believe it or not – photos are very powerful. They can send a message even without a caption or explanation. Sometimes the message stings and hurts. Other times, the message brings joy or happiness too. There are also photos that are made to deceive, and sadly, sometimes to destroy.
In short, photos can trigger emotions just as much as words can, or sometimes even more than words can.
As I blog about my adventures and photography as a rewarding hobby, I intend to use my photos as a way to share meaningful messages that speak only the truth… at least in my context (because you know that the truth can sometimes be relative).
What’s true for me may not necessarily be true for you all the time. But the point of it all is to use this blog to help promote change by communicating social awareness through meaningful photographs and experiences.
What kind of change?
It may not be a big heroic act but in my own little way, I hope to inspire people to continue looking for interesting beauty through the lens. A beautiful photo of a sunrise or sunset definitely means something. A photo of a dirty street and beggars walking around means something too.
When people see the different sides of the world through photos, it will help them change their perception of it and be more considerate, be kinder to everyone, and eventually, stop hating and destroying other people, animals, places, situations, and events for no good or sensible reason at all.
Instead, people can start loving, helping, and accepting each other more, and start uniting instead of dividing. In other words, people can start being more socially aware rather than being rudely insensitive.
On this blog, photography and adventures go hand in hand.
I want to show people that living an adventurous life doesn’t only mean traveling around the world or doing extreme sports or adventures, although it could be and there’s nothing wrong with that if you have the means to do so.
Investing in the Correct Gear
Having the appropriate camera gear is crucial for picture blogging. Investing in something like a camera high hat is a wonderful decision if you want to ensure that your camcorder can capture crisp, sharp images and movies. With the help of a camera high hat, you can easily record video from overhead perspectives while maintaining camera stability and producing amazing results.
But remember that even though you don’t have the most expensive camera or gadgets, you can still take the best photos of your life adventures that you will forever cherish and love, and at the same time inspire people to use photos meaningfully. Use your smartphone. That’s the best you have!
The quote below best illustrates my point. It’s one of my inspirations.
A photo is a small voice, at best, but sometimes – just sometimes – one photograph or a group of them can lure our senses into awareness. Much depends upon the viewer; in some, photographs can summon enough emotion to be a catalyst to thought.
W. Eugene Smith
My kind of photography continues to be “shoot to feel” because it’s not just the technical aspects of photography that matter to me; it’s about the experience too – the experience of being in the moment of my adventures, may it be stellar or ordinary. And most importantly, it’s not just about taking photos, it’s more about creating photos, making them my own, and showing the world what they can do for the better.
If you’re reading this, try to look at one or two photos you’ve taken before. For sure, there’s at least one photo that made you realize something or made you aware of something – a feeling, an emotion, a thought.
Whatever that something is, hold on to it or let it go, whichever is necessary. Then write about it too. That’s what I do. How about you? ♥
