Photographs and Memories

I am a photographer.

I don't earn a living at photography, but I do sell photo calendars and images. I donate the profits to charity. I travel to many places in the US and overseas with my cameras, always looking to capture that next great photo. I offer images for sale on a Web site (www.annsullivan.zenfolio.com). I'm adding new images all the time as I continue to develop the site.

Going back through tens of thousands of images on my computer has been a time-consuming but rewarding experience. I have rediscovered photographs that I haven't looked at in a few years. I have realized that some of those forgotten images are actually quite good and should be shared with the world. Looking at them with fresh eyes has been, pardon the expression, a real eye-opener.

But the biggest joy of going through these images is remembering the circumstances and the places where the images were captured. I recently ran across a photo of an elephant going down a hill. It isn't a great picture, but as soon as I saw it, I immediately remembered that I took this image as we were driving to our lodge in Borana, Kenya. The road was steep and winding, and it seemed to go on forever. 

It amazes me that a glance at even a not-so-great photograph can awaken so many memories. How does my mind recall the circumstances and the location where this photo was taken? How can the simple act of looking at an image on the computer screen take me back to that day last July? I can look at a picture of a leopard sprawled in a tree, for example, and remember how excited I was that our guide spotted this animal on the ground nearby, and then waited with us in the vehicle until the other safari vehicles left. We then got to spend several minutes with that magnificent cat as it climbed a dead tree and relaxed before heading off to sleep. We were on our way to the airstrip to start our journey home, and this sighting was a wonderful way to wrap up a fantastic trip.

 Looking at this image of a jaguar in a cage in Costa Rica doesn't make me sad. The animal isn't caged for entertainment or so people can pay to take its picture. No, it is caged because a kind man with permits trapped the jaguar rather than to allow it to be killed for killing cattle. He planned to relocate it to a safe area, far from cows, and release it. We were on a farm photographing scarlet macaws when our guide quietly told me about this big cat. It was a thrill to see it, and to know about the kindness of the local man who saved its life.

I love digital photography. I love the challenge of improving my skills, and the challenge of capturing wildlife in its natural habitat. I love sharing the beauty of places and wildlife with people who will never get to visit these special places, who will never get to see a family of elephants or a pride of lions in the wild. And now, I love the memories looking at my images bring to mind.