Monsoon ... or something like it

Last night, driving between Brussels and Antwerpen, Gert and I were discussing the difference in our photographic styles.

When I first met Gert, one of the things we immediately recognised was a shared interest in photography. As the photographic workload has increased, Gert has gone from being my 'fix-it-all' assistant to photography partner ... our different styles offering a comprehensive coverage at events, his multiple languages a godsend.

Initially he was more about the technical photography but these last 3 days saw him put together some truly superb people essays and we're both delighted. It wasn't an area he'd had much to do with before meeting me.

So driving home ... I confessed to being truly empty, a boneless mass of physical person, psychologically drained.

Photography shoots don't affect him in the same way. He applies the technical and I apply the ... we tried to find a name for it. I 'feel' my way. I look for emotions, for connections, for moments and I give everything to the moments when the camera is in my hand. When work goes on for hours, coming back to the world can be difficult.

Photography is flight for me ... it's best feeling in the world, it's like a natural high and no matter how stressful the preparation or workload is, once I'm working with the camera, I'm happy.

I'm a little sad that I didn't give in to this instinct for photography before but I never felt that this feeling of flying was the most valid reason for becoming professional even though I had been pressured to take the step for years.

Last night, seeing peoples delight over the portraits I captured of them while they were unaware I was focused on them made all this exhaustion today so worthwhile. The president of the Belgian organisation in charge of the international conference was delighted and said she would recommend me on out into the world whenever she could, that more work would follow.

But today is only the top of the mountain, now follows the down-climb ... hundreds of photographs to check, downsize and prepare for loading onto a private online album for conference-goers to view meanwhile ... I begin work on my first newsletter for the organisation who employed me tomorrow.

The monsoon season feels like it has arrived and truthfully, I'm loving it.