Oh heyyy. I’m Jody - the eye behind the lens. Fancy seeing you here. Are you ready to join me on my journey?
I still remember taking my first photo. I was probably about 8. Maybe 10? Ok I don’t remember all of the details, but I do remember positioning my bro between my mum and aunty, and taking that one photo. Just one, because don’t you go wasting any film. I couldn’t wait to get that roll developed. I was so excited flicking through the prints, that I nearly missed my photo. Or maybe because I was so convinced that was not the photo I took. My bro was in the frame perfectly. And so were my mum and aunty….if they were happy being headless. That was the beginning of my photography journey.
Fast forward many, many years and I am still so happy taking photos, and even more excited seeing them in print. We have become so used to just staring at photos on our small phones, that we almost forget the life a printed photo can bring to a room.
I spent several years taking photos of people - branding, families, weddings. And as much as my clients were always so happy with the collection of images, there was something missing. Joy. Passion. Inspiration. I was living in a state of contentment. I put my camera down for about a year.
Once my soul was reignited I used this opportunity to change my focus (pun always intended). From here on I would only take photos that brought me joy. That I felt a passion for. Of things that inspire me. I never did this with the intention to sell prints. I did this to increase my own inner joy.
I was loving being in the water and decided to shell out a small fortune for an underwater housing for my DSLR - best decision I ever made. To gain the most from this I did a free diving course, so I felt more comfortable staying under water for longer periods of time. Then I joined a bunch of the best people I now call my friends for a 6 day getaway in Exmouth, combining free diving and underwater photography . I never expected that taking photos of people in water would bring me joy. But it did. It does. It has opened up a whole new world of inspiration.
My photography is forever changing as I open myself up to new possibilities. Releasing any feelings of restriction, I choose to go on more adventures. I choose to wander. I choose to be inspired. By the ocean, by the forest, by people, by wildlife.
