I Can't Help It

I envy my husband's passion for football.  There is nothing he would rather do than watch an NFL game.  He can't wait until football season officially starts and he actually becomes depressed when it's over.  He proudly wears his team's colors and he talks about the players with anyone who will listen.  You can see his face light up when someone asks him about his team; you can see it darken when he realizes they love another team.

I have wanted that same kind of passion.  I've wanted something I can't wait to do each day or each week, something that excites me so much I can barely sit still. Most of all I've wanted something to do when my husband is preoccupied with his first love -- football.

"Get a hobby" he says, when I am bored while he watches football.   Yes, I will get a hobby! But what?  Decorating my home is fun but expensive.  I've tried collecting things but I really don't want more "stuff" to dust or worry about.  I like to paint but I don't love doing it and it zaps me of energy.  I love to travel but I don't have enough free time or money to make it a hobby.  I'm a magazine junky and a Pinterest fan but I consider that a past time, not really a true hobby or a passion.

So I thought about it and I realized there is something I can't keep myself from doing -- taking pictures. I once had a big, bulky, expensive digital camera and took lots of pictures during vacations, family gatherings, and even during walks. Once I got my first cell phone with a camera, I quickly realized it was a waste of effort to carry both a phone and a camera, so I put down my much used digital camera, which was already outdated, and used my small slide phone to take photos. I think it was a little too easy for me to take pictures with my phone. Last year my iPhone 4 started to slow down and I realized I had over 3,000 photos on it!   

Okay, so I'm an amateur photographer, perhaps? I guess I should get a nice, new digital camera so I can take "real" photos"?  But I don't want to carry my camera with me everywhere.  I don't want to have to use my computer to download my photos from the data card, or whatever it's called now.  I just want to use my phone and take pictures when the mood hits or when I see a good shot. And my iPhone 4 takes pretty good photos, I must say. Also it's so easy to upload my photos to Facebook or e-mail, then edit them.

I got online to see if there were any good hints or tips for using an iPhone as a camera and I found a lot of great advice.  I even found an iPhone Photography "school", or an online resource for those who are passionate about taking good pictures with their iPhone.  In the last few weeks I've had a blast learning about taking better pictures and sharing those photos with others.  One evening I spent hours looking at my old photos on my phone, editing them on my iPad and uploading them to EyeEm.com.

I spent hours researching something.  I spent time learning something new.  I was truly interested and curious about something.  I found others who share this new interest and I connected with them.  I felt a creative energy I have been missing in my life lately.  I felt a passion for something. 

I think I have found my creative outlet and my hobby.  I don't intend to make it a profession or even make money on it.  It's something I can't keep myself from doing, even when someone tells me I take too many pictures.  I like to take pictures.  No, I love to take pictures.  It's nice if someone else tells me they like my pictures, but really I am doing it for me.  Finally, something for me!

Here are some of the photos I've taken with my iPhone 4 or slide phone in the last few years.