To Begin Anew

So let me begin by saying that I am not a professional photographer, yet anyway.  But I'm not really sure I would ever consider myself a professional at anything; what exactly does 'professional' mean and what does it entail?  I think I could ask 50 different people and get at least 30 different answers.  

I am, however, a licensed and practicing architect (I may take exception to being labeled a professional though) that has enjoyed the discipline of design ever since I was in second grade. You're probably wondering then what this has to do with photography?

Well it's not like I just picked up a camera yesterday and decided to call myself a photographer.  As long as I can remember I've been enamored with photographs that exude a sense of place and being.  I got my first film slr camera when I started college and thanks to my classmates with more experience than I, I was shown the sanctity of the dark room.  I learned many things just by simply doing, making more mistakes along the way than successes.  But I never minded that process, never looked for short cuts and never really cared what others might think of my work.  It was my own and I owned it.  

Unfortunately, after graduating college and starting the arduous task of architectural licensing I slipped farther and farther away from that unfettered approach.  Everything became about accruing intern hours doing this and that and then accumulating enough correct answers on one exam to continue on to the next.  In fact, my film camera never saw much use after college.  And it was all in the quest to become a professional.  

In fact, sometime during the past ten years the film body developed a crack and I never got around to replacing the camera until right before my daughter was born, about 18 months ago.  It was my intention to use it to document her life, but watching her develop day after day with an unending supply of energy and a limitless desire to touch, lick and conquer everything around her I realized that she was showing me what I had been forgetting to do for so many years.  

So this is me, picking up that camera once again.  I'm not certain where this will take me, but I'm sure looking forward to the journey...