Photography was the hobby that turned into a love and after that a passion

It soon became the thing that got me out of bed every morning and the thing that kept me up late at night

It was the new friend I welcomed and sometimes the thing I fought with the most  

Square one was awful but every square after got a little easier

There were learning curves and arguments regarding it 

Especially when I was learning on my own

Cursing at technology new and old

Damaged negatives or dead batteries

Outdated blog posts and new versions of photo shop 

Sometimes it lead to tears but mostly it lead to memories and smiles

It was the thing I chose to do with my life at the age of 18  

If such a choice seems possible at that age

But it never doubted me even when everyone else did

It never talked back not even if I needed the encouraging words

It was there for me on my good days and bad 

Film reels didn’t care about the color of my skin nor did the chemicals judge me on the quality of a person I was  

The only thing photography seemed to fight me on was the amount of memory left or just how much battery life I didn’t have

Not every picture was perfect, nor was every shoot

But the hours in a dark room was worth the richness of a perfect print

So my camera became my companion

My very best 

And with it came a passion

I didnt think I could ever have 

For such a small object