Why did I start this blog

I'm writing this post to greet you and provide context for this blog. In my day-to-day life, I work full-time, 5 to 6 days a week, and I rarely have time to stop and enjoy the moment. 
Photography and videography are passions of mine that have nothing to do with my chosen profession. Since I was young, I've enjoyed taking photos of the world around me, especially animals, nature, and architecture. Nowadays, I can only pursue my hobbies on free days or when I travel during holidays, about 2 to 3 times a year. 
Over the last few years, I've collected a plethora of memories, meaning a lot of photos and videos, sitting on my computer's hard drive, collecting dust. I 
look through them from time to time, wishing I could create something beautiful and wholesome out of them. I think there must be a better way to appreciate them than just by letting them get forgotten and eventually deleted. After all, how many photos can one person display at home?

It is not just the pictures and videos; there is a lot more to these memories, so I never felt that displaying a photo does the whole experience justice. That’s why I started browsing the internet, trying to figure out a way to summarise and honor these memories and experiences in just the right way for me. Let me tell you, nowadays, with all the existing platforms, it is a task on its own.
During my research, I have found interesting information and opinions about traveling, tourism, social media, content, and so on. A lot of it left mixed feelings behind, so I wanted to start by purposefully stating my needs and wants through a post, not only to clarify the purpose of this endeavor, but also to maybe put up a reminder for myself for the future. Not to forget why and how it started and what the actual point of it all is. I consider myself a realist, so I firmly believe you can easily get lost in something, even if, at the beginning, you have a clear goal and the best intentions. 

Traveling in my everyday life is a rare opportunity, and that is why I want to honor the experiences I have had and, most of all, the beautiful places I have visited. There is so much beauty around us, so it is magical to capture a glimpse of it with a camera and share it with the world. It is a privilege and an incredible opportunity we should never take for granted. 
While consuming all this traveling content, I asked myself what it is about traveling and wanting to take more and more snapshots. Are we doing it to capture the moment and remember the beauty of it? Travel and related content can so quickly turn into a posh content-creation monster. There, you are trying to visit as many (or, in the best case, all) of the crucial sights so you can take the needed photos. Or do you need to take a snapshot of every corner of the place you are in, every flower, and capture every activity. Otherwise, you have missed the opportunity. The opportunity of what, I am asking myself reading all this information about mass tourism, the dark side of traveling, and content creation. There is this feeling in the air that we are missing something all the time, or that we are not doing enough, that we could have done so much more and done it better. We often compare ourselves to others and try to emulate someone who we think has done everything right. However, there's no place for that here, so let's leave those thoughts at the door before proceeding. Don't breathe in this toxic air, and if you feel it is affecting you, disconnect from the internet.

I believe in finding a healthy balance and see the value in sharing the beauty of the world around us. To truly appreciate it, we need to take the time to soak it in, enjoy it, and respect it. Sometimes, we can feel its impact more deeply than we can see it, so we should allow it to move us. If we can capture these emotions through a photo or video, we have fulfilled a meaningful purpose. We can only hope that others will treat it with the same respect and appreciation.

So, in conclusion, that is what I had in my head starting this blog. I often have too many thoughts and ideas simultaneously in my mind, so I hope it has made sense.

And if somebody someday reads this, I would love to hear where you stand nowadays on traveling and sharing the experience online. How do you approach it, what do you expect, and what floats your travel boat, if you don’t mind saying?

 

Portrait of beautiful ladys enjoying the sunshine in Lochau, Austria.

Greetings, and till the next chat
From me