A little therapy. A whole lot of fun.
It all began in December 2011 when my husband gave me a DSLR camera for Christmas.
I had been diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease a few years prior -- a life-changing diagnosis which eventually forced me to quit my job. When I unwrapped that fancy new camera on that Christmas morning in 2011, I started playing around with it and was hooked. Instantaneously. After a year of learning the rules of photography on the Internet and through books, breaking some of them to see what would happen, and as a result of much experimentation, I finally found my own artistic voice.
And I also discovered that creative activities such as photography are one of the most healing things I can do to ease my pesky Parkinson's symptoms.
So, in October of 2012, I decided to go out on a limb and open a shop on Etsy. But what to name it? I am not a wordsmith, but I love expressing myself in purely visual terms. A photograph lets me tell a story without words. It captures a tiny slice of life that doesn’t exactly have a plot such as a novel or a movie, but is a great medium for storytelling nevertheless. To my mind, a photograph conveys a visual story, complete with emotions and moods and even complex ideas, one frame at a time. Hence my shop name -- One Frame Stories -- was born.
Photography energizes me and allows me to be creative, especially in the digital darkroom where I can finesse my images in seemingly unlimited ways. This creativity is freedom. When I’m looking through the lens, clicking away, I am free to express my vision through pictures for the world to see. I find this freedom both addicting and therapeutic. It soothes my soul. Yes, I admit. My camera is my trusty therapist.
To me, photography is poetry written in tiny pixels. A dancing balance of lights and darks. I enjoy making bold and subtle or even tender statements from behind my lens. I can convey the awe I feel when looking at the biggest things as well as at the smallest things around me. Photography allows me to express the unique angle from which my mind and my heart filter this world. And I believe this is a gift worth sharing.
I hope my images bring a smile to your face. They are inspired by life and reflect my sense of wonder for nature, but also my enthusiasm for exploring the world.
Each order I get on Etsy certainly brings a smile to my face. I confess I enjoy a little income. No denying that. Yet, what gets me really excited about each sale is not so much the money, but rather the joy of finding out which of my photos is the favored one each time. This feeling of joy is the real payment and for that I am grateful.
Thank you.
Ute
