You see it is possible to help others enjoy their lives and discover new hobbies, no matter how dreadful you are feeling yourself.
If you havent read my previous two blogs then I would urge you to do so.
Some of you already know I have hobbies which have helped me focus on positive ways forward in a life where having M.E stopped me enjoying the job I loved and previous hobbies of hiking mountains, cycling, camping, gardenning etc.
( me on the summit of Aonach more, hill next to Ben Nevis, late 90s)
I call these hobbies my silver lining in the dark cloud that is M.E. as the experience forced me to find new interests which I may not have considered previously. The main hobby has been photography which I undertook at home becauze I struggled to get out. I was given a camera as apresent and decided I would switch off all the automatic settings after only 2 weeks and learn to take photographs from scratch. I decided to challenge myself to photograph things at home such as my pets, water droplets and flowers. I had no special equipment, just a standard kit lens and house lamps to light my subjects but it was great fun to learn. It wasnt long before I tried monthly challenge s and competitions online, and within two years I was in the top ten on one websites competition leaderboard.
(pic of me on my way up Sca fell summit late 90s)
Over the years my photographs of my frogs started getting attention. A local camera club asked me to join them to give a presentation and talk about my images. They then asked me to run a practical session helping their members take photographs of my pets. I was still very amateur. Then the UK press got wind of my images and story if how photography helped me cope with my illness. I ended up published in almost all the national papers as a result in 2010. Followed by a interview on tv.
I saved and bought low budget equipment and was bought lenses as presents. As my condition allowed I joined the above camera club and a local group called Bristol strobists who helped me learn portraiture on the very street that I lived. Through that group I learned so much and managed to socialise, I gained tonnes of experience too. The results were getting my images published in magazines and doing well in competitions. I was even runner up in Pet photographer of the year with the SWPP for 3 years.
(Two images I took on my first ever group photo shoot with the Bristol strobists in 2010)
(Recent images published in 2015)
I moved away from Bristol almost 3 years ago and managed a few photoshoots up here in Newcastle, started my photography business running occasional photo days, continued to get published and do ok in competitions. By the end of 2015 I was struggling to run workshops and making myself ill from photoshoots. Ive not managed either for a year now.
However, I want to get back doing shoots and Ive pursued competitions whilst less physically able. Ive had 27 images highly commended and winning Gold awards in The NPS competitions this year, which Im very proud of.
Aurora image taken at Whitley bay 2015
So I was chatting to other photographers online in the north east and many expressed an interest in trying portraiture, some had no experience, a few had a little exp and other quite a bit, and I thought why not set up a group similar to the Bristol strobists group , where people get together to create portrait images, to network, socialise, learn, share, produce portfolio images and work on portrait projects - all free of charge. A friendly, helpful group. So I started a group on facebook, within a couple of weeks numbers were at over 200. I decided to take the bull by the horns and arrange a photoshoot. Its not been easy finding other creatives, particularly models as locally they do not appear used to this concept., However after about messaging around 20 models I found 3 available the day we wanted the first shoot, who wanted to collaborate. One couldnt make it at last minute, but this is one of those things that does happen regularly in this industry, almost always one model drops out or does not turn up. On the day there were 10 photographers and 2 models, a little unbalanced but Im sure we can address that as the group grows, The results are some lovely images and a bunch of people that enjoyed themselves. Most want to do this again and have already taken part in conversations regarding the next shoot and how we can organise things better, which is fab. I could not attend the shoot this time due to the M.E, but I am hopeful I will manage to attend some. But what I can do is help organise and facilitate something positive for other people, and take great pleasure in seeing the results, and hearing how everyone enjoyed themselves.
The two images below are by one of the photographers who attended the photo shoot, Cliff Soden, who really enjoyed himself and told me he learned a lot. The model is the lovely Loren Jessica Evans, who modelled with her sister Paige Evans, accompanied by their parents, who were pleased with how everything went.
The image below is by photographer Alan Wennington from the photo shoot on Sunday of model Paige Evans.
So what I want to say to other people with M.E, Fybromyalgia, or other illnesses is that you can still make positive things happen in your life. You can still be part of society even when you cant leave your home. You just need to find a way. That way will be different for all of us and we may need to adapt, but it is possible. We just need to be open to it. The way forward may not be the way you want at that time, maybe simply a short term thing whilst working on longer term plans, it may not be clear to you either - ask your family and friends for suggestions/ideas and help, and you will find your own positive paths.
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