The shot that changed my life...

Over the years, I think I've taken well over 100,000 photos. These days, it's easy to get up into those numbers with 7-frames-per-second DSLRs and a smartphone attached to our hips at all times. But looking back at it all, I think there's one photo in particular that changed photography from a fun hobby to a serious passion.

Before this photo, I was an occasional photographer with a point and shoot. I liked snapping photos but I was never interested in making money. I just liked documenting things for the sake of remembering and didn't give it too much thought. This was the era in which point and shoots were just starting to get as good as film cameras. I wasn't too invested in getting better as I thought using auto mode was good enough. I didn't think that I could really take a good shot.

One day, I saw a sale on a Canon Rebel DSLR that was too good to pass up. Being an engineer, I appreciated and enjoyed playing with good gear, so I decided to experiment and invest in a better camera to see how much better it was. I bought it, used it (once again, in auto mode) and thought it was pretty neat - nothing more.

Then I remember in 2005 a certain week in November where there was fog that enveloped the city continuously for numerous days. Driving was slow as it was a soupy, dense kind of fog where not much light got through to the ground. I was curious to see what things looked like above the fog, so I grabbed my camera and tripod one evening when I was bored and drove up Burnaby Mountain to a mountaintop park.

It was an ethereal moment. A "holy crap" moment. This is a "moment I'll never forget" moment.

It literally looked like I was in heaven. I remember my jaw dropping as I saw the sun set and twilight appear. I set up my camera on my tripod and fired away. It was epic. There were other people there in the park too, all silent, enjoying the serenity before them.

I got home, loaded the images on the computer and saw how wonderful the images looked, even though they were all shot using a kit lens. I was picked the best one and sent it to friends and family. They loved it and it made me proud. It made me realize I was capable of producing great images and fed my desire to produce more. From that point on, I put in way more effort in learning the tools of the trade. I researched info online, I signed up for classes and I started hanging out with fellow photographers. My craft only improved from there. The image was the catalyst that jump started my life in photography.

Do any of you have a shot that changed your photography? Let me know in the comments below!

All images were photographed and are owned by me. Please UPVOTE or RESTEEM if you like this content to support future posts. Thank you for reading!

- Duran