When I made the decision to major in music education, I was thinking that I was going to be having the time of my life. However, once I was actually taking classes and was swimming through mounds of homework, that view quickly changed.
Music became work, and when I wasn’t doing theory homework or trying to stay afloat in music history, I was in the practice rooms. I even joined a couple of music fraternities, as well as some organizations for music educators. As you can probably tell, I was on the fast lane toward burnout. I managed to make it out of my first year all right, but I was pretty miserable. I knew that if I was going to stick with it for the long haul, I was going to have to find a non-music related hobby.
When I went home the following summer, I ended up as a mechanical insulator working long hours inside of hospitals and factories. Not exactly the best or even the most exciting job in the world--but hey, it was a job. Whenever I got home, I would shower, eat dinner, and head out the door with my little brother to enjoy the outdoors. We would go explore different parts of downtown Indianapolis and the surrounding parks in the area. I remember one time in particular, we were walking around the canal at sunset and it was absolutely gorgeous. I thought to myself, “I wish I had a camera on me...” Then it dawned on me: I found my new non-music related hobby -- photography.
The rest of the summer, I saved up enough money to get myself a Nikon D90. When it arrived, I was pretty ecstatic. I put everything together and went out to take it for a test run. Of course, my first few photos were pretty terrible, but I didn’t give up. For the rest of summer, and into my sophomore year, my camera never left my side. When I was taking a break from school or work, I would pore over books, blogs, articles, and videos trying to learn how I could better my photography. Each time I would learn something new, I would always head out the door and try it out myself.
As I took more and more photos over the years, something began to happen: I had stopped looking down when walking place to place. I was actually noticing my surroundings. I was noticing the gorgeous sunsets, the old, dilapidated buildings, and the vibrant skylines (to name a few things). I took each opportunity that arose to hone my skill.
Late at night, I was practicing low-light skills. Whenever snowstorms would arrive, I was outside taking photos. As my photos started to get better, I took on the challenge taking photos at weddings and other special events. Through those experiences, I became acquainted with many other photography enthusiasts like myself. I started meeting them once a month to explore different areas in Indianapolis. By being exposed to many like-minded individuals, I picked up new techniques and the quality of my photos skyrocketed.
The best parts about picking up photography would be the places I got to explore and the people that I explored them with. On multiple occasions, I was able to explore and take pictures of places that I never would have noticed before. I always looked forward to the next meet-up, and before I knew it, I was forming my own expeditions with my friends. We’d travel from place to place, and city to city, not only looking for the next best shot, but also looking for great places to hang out.
It’s crazy to think that all of the adventures I had and all of the sights I have seen came from taking photos. Who would’ve thought that the guy that went back and forth from the practice rooms and the res halls would have ever become an adventurer?
