Photography school

One year ago today, my life was about to change forever. One year ago today I started photography school. I remember that night of orientation like it was yesterday. I remember how terrified I was for so many reasons, because I was in a new place with new people, I was on my own, I was about to pursue a dream that I could fail. I didn't know what to expect. I didn't know what I was doing. But I did it. And I am so glad I did. Just thinking back to last summer, it reassures me that photography will always be my passion, my dream, even if sometimes I have to set it aside, it will always be first in my heart, what I really want to do. Last summer changed everything. I can't even begin to describe how it made me feel, what it meant to me, the love I have for everything about it. When people ask me what it was like, to this day I am still at a loss for words. How can you sum up what is potentially the best thing you will ever do with your life? What words are there for that? It wasn't just about what I was learning, it wasn't just about following my dreams, it was about everything. Every last thing made it unbelievable. It doesn't matter what I was doing or learning or who I was with, it was all great. That place will always have part of my heart. It holds memories that can never be erased. It will always be a place I call home (second only to where my family is at). To this day, when I think about the places, when I think about the town, the school, the classrooms, the darkroom, the instructors, the subjects, the people, my classmates, my friends, the moments, the memories, thinking about how much it all meant to me and how much I still miss it, it brings tears to my eyes. It makes me happy to know that someone else will be living the experience we lived, but at the same time it makes me jealous and sad. Because like Mikey said in the Goonies, "it's our time". It is our place, our dream. Now someone else gets to live it. I only hope that when they leave there, they feel the way we felt, the way we still feel. Because if they do, then it will be okay that they lived our dream too.

Comments

teacherwoman said…
Wow girl! Have you ever thought about writing? You're very good at it.
6/04/2006 10:44 AM
Anonymous said…
Exactly my thought. You should be a writer. Good job.
MDoc
6/04/2006 12:15 PM
jm said…
cdoc, I'm so glad you did the photography school. Everything you learned is now part of you. You get to build off of it now -- and that's even more exciting. Where will it take you?
6/04/2006 12:51 PM
Girl of Approval said…
I think photography school did a lot of things for you. When you came back, there was a girl with confidence, a girl who wanted more adventures in life, a girl who knew what she loved.

You didn't seem so scared of the world, in fact, you seemed ready for the world. And look at you now... CT.

Your dream is alive and as long as you are alive... so is the dream, and so is it your time.
6/04/2006 2:40 PM
teacherwoman said…
Cdoc,

I noticed that you are going to be training for a marathon in the future!! YAHOO!! If you are looking for a training schedule, for that or any other race, go to www.runnersworld.com and click on SmartCoach on the right hand side! It's awesome. I just used it today for my half marathon! Very nice! Very nice! Way to go Cdoc! Hey, maybe we could train for something in between my half marathon and your marathon together?!?! Hmm. Do a little traveling?
6/04/2006 9:15 PM
Anonymous said…
What a great entry. I just met Juan de Santa Anna. He is usually the teacher in the dark room at RMSP but unfortunately took the year off last year while you were there. He spoke of RMSP students like they were family. He was a happy, jolly person who had wonderful photography. We bought one of his photos = they captured the beauty of this place like no other I've seen in a long time.

He gave a suggestion - find a hospital and put your photos there. Just display them with no expectations of selling them. When he first did it, he sold them all but the most memorable thing that happened was that he was approached twice that year by someone weeping at the beauty in such a institutional place thanking him for the respite they needed from their grief. It was such a spiritual uplifting for him that he continues to do it today even though he now sells his photos and makes a living of it.

Keep your dream alive - come take pics at my wedding ;-)
6/05/2006 9:18 AM
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