Why I love photography...

For the first time in a few years, I've found myself completely immersed and dedicated to a personal photography project. At the beginning of the year I started participating in the 52 Frames weekly photography challenge. Each week features a different theme, or prompt, and the photo has to be taken during that particular week. Through working on a different photo each week, I've been reminded of why I truly love photography, and I wanted to share those reasons with you.

• It's something that I can do almost anywhere. Of course I'm biased, but photography is such a great activity because as long as you have a camera, you can do it almost anywhere. If you're somewhere that doesn't seem to have much for you to do or much going on that interests you, you can bust out your camera and suddenly be on your own fascinating scavenger hunt.

• It helps me remember. I'm sure you have a better memory than me, but trust me when I say that I need my photos to help me remember the details and feelings from my daily life. I love looking back through my old photos and I'm so thankful that photography gives me that accessibility to the past.

• It's something that I can control. I love that my camera does what I tell it to do and that once I've created an image, it stays the way I made it. I've tried gardening, for example, and plants (and weeds and critters in the yard) are not as obliging.

• It's there for me when I need it and also waits patiently for me when I don't. There are times in life where we need to be creating, making something that's all our own. There are also times in life where we lose our inspiration or don't have the time to create. That's okay. The camera is there, waiting, whether it's a good time to create or not.

• It lets me escape. We all know that feeling - when time seems to both cease passing and also passes in an instant. That feeling of being "in the zone" is one of the best escapes that I know. Whatever it is that needs escaping from, photography makes it disappear.

• It lets me serve others. I think this is one thing that makes photography extra special. It's something that is both beautiful and useful. It's something that most people need in some regard. I love that I can fill that need for my friends, family, community and clients.

• It transforms my world. Photography is truly the closest thing in the world to magic. With my lens, I can change reality by manipulating light. With my camera, I can stop time in a single image. I am obsessed with how it feels to use that power!

I could probably go on and on! If you have something like photography that you love, I know you understand exactly how I feel.