Over the years I have had the immense pleasure of photographing some of the most interesting people.
Sure some have been celebrities - David Suzuki, Cathy Freeman, Kathy Lette - but the vast majority of them have been regular folks like you and me.
Only different. One thing that many of them have in common is passion. A sense of vocation.
Vocation - a job that you are passionate about. A job that you are called to do.
Passion is a big theme for me. I want to be passionate about my own photography. I love to photograph people who are passionate about what they are doing.
On a travel writer's forum I'm a member of someone posted a question the other day. In light of the fact that there's hardly any money in travel photography, magazines are either shrinking in size or going bust left right and centre - why the hell do we do it?
I don't know why anybody else does it, but certainly part of the reason I do it is because I can't imagine not doing it. Sure there are other things I am qualified to do - I used to work as a Japanese-English Medical interpreter!. But this is my vocation. Another part of it is that I want to show my children that you can live your dreams and follow your passions without having to compromise your values or morals.You can absolutely love going to work every day and be proud of what you accomplish.
Part of keeping up that passion is to photograph what you love. Which isn't always possible when your life involves shooting on assignment for clients who need you to photograph what THEY love. So this year I've decided to embark on a personal project. Vocation.
I want to photograph people in the north Queensland region who are passionate about what they do, and are making a positive difference to the world around them. The last few years have been hard in this part of the world. A high Aussie dollar and the GFC have meant that tourism numbers are down and a lot of businesses are hurting. All we ever seem to hear is how our unemployment rates are amongst the highest in the country.
And yet I've met wonderful, inspirational people who do fantastic work in their respective fields. From butterfly researchers like Darrell Kemp (above), to Buddhist monks. People following their own path. Walking their own walk and ignoring the naysayers.
So how can you help? If you know somebody who you think would make a perfect subject for this project I want you to let me know! Comment here, comment on my Facebook page, send me an email at info at dymond dot com dot au. Send me a letter if you're passionate about hand writing! I have a few ideas up my sleeve already but I'm only one man. I am sure there are a plethora of inspirational, passionate stories out there waiting to be told.
So if you could help me out I would be really appreciative. Pass this post on. Get the word out to as many people as possible. Let's show the world that Cairns may be down but that our passion will get us through this.
