Be a photographer, be a father
Sometimes people ask me “why you are so enthusiastic about photography?”
This is a very good question because I had been wondering the same thing for long time up until quite recently. I am a kind of person who easily gets crazy about something, but throws it away next moment. Photography, however, is at the center of my life for 6 years now.
Legacy for children
Let me talk about the day my daughter came to this world. She was born in August 7th, 2015. My wife and I named her “LEAH”. She was supposed to come out at the end of July, but loved being in her mother longer, so we decided to medicate to let her come out. I could not get a day off on the day and my wife had to go to the hospital alone. ( I feel very sorry for that now by the way.) She was medicated at 9:00 and my daughter came out at 16:00. Now she is going to be one-year-old soon.
My life totally changed since that day, which made me puzzled, but started learning what a father was like. With becoming a father day by day, one inexperienced feeling came up from my heart, which I suppose every father who loves his children would have.
What can I leave as a legacy for my child?
Something to use would be good. Money would be also fine. But what was better for me is this:
Example of how a father lived his life. What a wonderful and intriguing way her father used his just one-time life for.
I cannot answer to the very philosophical question “why we came to this world”, but I can answer to the question “what is my life for?” My life is for making my life, my wife's life and my daughter's life happier than anyone's life.
A method to enjoy my life
Let’s get back to the talk about photography. As I wrote, I had been wondering why I had been deep in photography. It takes some amount of money to buy a set of photo equipment. As I am mainly in flaming nature and starscape, driving 5–6 hours is almost a routine for me, of course, which costs some. And above all, I am feeling sorry to my wife for leaving my daughter to her.
Once I found the question what the legacy for my daughter from me was, I also found that photography is a method to enjoy my life. It is one of the methods to let my daughter know how her father enjoyed his life.
I also want to add this; I could not find this answer without meeting one person. From 2014–2015, I had been taking part in seminars held in an island near Hiroshima, which were for people who owned companies. A host of the seminars were the CEO of the hotel where the seminars held, and he also had a license of bonze.
When I was in the first seminar, he asked me following question.
Why do you this we are in the earth?
I could not answer, or I have never thought about the question.
He simply answered; to enjoy.
Our life is a game given by the God. The God gave me this life because I still have something to enjoy in the Earth.
Now I know why I am in photography, and I will not loose my mind in this way. the time I am asked the question, I will answer this;
I am taking photos to enjoy my life and to make my daughter’s life happier than anyone’s.
To be a photographer is to be a father.
