and yes, it is way over estimated spring peak of daffodils and grass cutters coming out of their dungeons, first warm day and sun biting your nose at 11 am, but you know how life doings suck you in and you wake up on the 8th of May and want to welcome the spring via blog
Basically me in a nutshell : always behind the schedule or just hitting the deadline.
It has been a while since I have casually posted some photographs because of pure love for it, its been a while since my last culture blog (disclaimer: not hitting my targets for 2023 so far) and it’s been a while since I actually had a room in my head to just create silly little nothings of life through photographs.
My camera is usually carried to and from work, CF card copied on to my hard drive for the next available hour to do post-processing, or 70% of my time these days I will work with 360 cameras, and so the work dust layers on my Canon for months. It goes without saying that I miss being a creative.
And the arrival of the spring welcomed some external changes to my life, almost made my life a little less difficult, so I am positive that I will be able to make some internal changes too (all these above are purely adult life shit, professional bollocks, I am happily in love if you are asking).
I started with my new tradition (three years in a row) to visit a location in South Cave over the Easter for a little spring walk and photograph the detail of the spring. It may seem random, but I tried to photograph what I am feeling with my skin, smelling in the air and seeing with my eyes, and the awakened ground I walk on. It may not be the ultimate portfolio content, but it is something for myself, to retrieve my senses and relationship with the camera.
The things I have done in the last few months outside of everyday work included an exhibition (blog coming very soon about this) and I have ran two photography classes for a company based in Australia (ORBLE) in Hull (ask if interested as this will be an ongoing business). Both did miracles to my none-working side and reminded me in a very cliché way of why I ended up being a photographer. Meeting likeminded creatives, exhibiting a very personal body of work in a perfect place for a photographer from North, meeting enthusiasts and learning photographers, passing my knowledge and love for it has been so helpful.
It has worked as a driving force to make impossible possible, switch on the double-ninja energy I embody and get shit done.
Full time photographer for an estate is a big commitment that I have signed up for, always making sure that I keep my freelancing going, so the leftover time has to be used up to live, feed, indulge in physical hobbies and have a life, but I am determined to create work and be a photographer for myself too.
Back to spring.
I don’t really rave about the arrival of spring as majority of people, I always like the stretch of February and linger in winters’s safety, but there is a moment when it hits my brain with a happy wave. Passage between hibernating and summer busyness. Because I love summer: that’s when the best plans come to life, my body and face gets sun-kissed, have a lot of warm nights and go on holidays (mainly go back home to Latvia and cut grass)or local trips. After summer comes my favourite season autumn, then my birthday and then Christmas, and then back into hibernating.
So these photographs is a moment right before the spring kicks in as a welcome. Today I can say that I am already buzzing for some of my summer plans: work and leisure, so it kind of is a delayed reaction, but I wanted to share this with you.
We all have our own ways of making our way through life: professional life, adult life, leisure and personal stuff and I know that occasionally it is a guessing game, but we just have to keep going. I keep going regardless of what shit shows I face, so for a change I can tell you : I am great. It isn’t easy, but the sole fact that I am writing this in peace, at my desk with no errors or stresses is a great and promising start.
Happy spring my chickens
Love
Anete Sooda
ANETE SOODA PHOTO 