To celebrate my semi-retirement from journalism 17 years ago, I bought a digital camera and set about "becoming" a photographer. I wasn’t making much progress – until I had a stroke.
I was told it was a “mild” stroke, but It caused speech problems, weakness in my right arm, a limp, and I had to learn how to write by hand again. It also rewired my brain. Once a keen musician, I lost interest in music and became obsessed with photography. It was my principal rehab therapy.
I recovered almost completely within a few months and my photography made similar strides. It was like looking at the world through different eyes.
Like many aspiring photographers, I thought buying better gear would make me better at my craft. Whoops. Exit a few thousand dollars.
It was fun, but I learned some valuable truths about my new passion.
The best camera in the world will take lousy photos in the wrong hands and, conversely, the cheapest entry-level camera is capable of outstanding results in the right hands.
I'm reminded of one of my favourite quotes by famous French photographer Henri Cartier-Bresson: "It is an illusion that photos are made with the camera … they are made with the eye, heart and head.”
He also famously said: "Your first 10,000 photos are your worst."
I don't know what my ten-thousand-and-first photo was, but I'm pretty sure it was a landscape.
The best thing about landscapes is that you don't have to talk to them, but they sometimes talk to you.