That may sound a bit mellow-dramatic, but I assure you, it is not!!!
I have done things.
Many things.
I never would have done these things if not for the Scavenger Tribe!!
I remember the first time I heard about this thing called the Photo Scavenger Hunt on a now obsolete platform called G+. Ron Clifford had shared a link for the signups in his stream. I had recently joined this thing called G+, discovered him there and immediately followed him because I loved his style of photography. This was at the beginning of my own photography journey. I was still discovering my love for photography and learning on a whole new level!
I had NO idea the journey I had put my self on!!
I said "I'm in!" for the first time in March of 2015..... I remember it being so fun to see a group of people that enjoyed photography AND each other!
The first meetup had just happened and there were many post in my stream about how awesomely wonderful it had been. I'm guessing Ron was commenting on some posts as well, so I saw the posts that way! It looked like a fabulous time was had by all!!!
It got me very motivated to jump in and become a part of this "community".
What I didn't realize at the time was how truly WONDERFUL being part of this community would be! I had NO idea of the friendship that would form, the connections across the world that would be made, the encouragement I would receive, the happiness I would have from meeting people in real life!
That's right!!!
This small town girl right here got on a plane (for the fist time ever) flew across the country (Alabama to Nevada) to meet people I had only "met" on the internet!!!!
It.
Was.
Epic.
I cannot describe to you how absolutely wonderful it was to meet these precious people!!
These Scavengers.
My tribe!
Life changing. Enormous amounts of FUN. Hugs galore. Photography. LAS VEGAS!!!!
That will be a blog for another day.....
For now, I'd like to take a look back at my first ever Hunt Photos.
It was Round 15...there were 10 words.
....quick explanation on how it works..... It happens about four times a year. There is a "sign up" day. On that day you say (type) "I'm in" if you want to participate in the Hunt. After you sign up, we are given the rules of the Hunt.
My favorite rule is "Have FUN"!!!!
It's important.
There are a few technical rules about how to post the photos, how to name the photos, how to participate in general.
Then, we get the List.
The list is sacred.
The list is magical.
Every.
Time.
We are not allowed to talk about the list outside of that particular Round's community!!! (It's one of the rules!) (it causes confusion, jealousy and world hunger. The list must be guarded at all cost!!)
We are given 7 - 10 words to interpret into photographs!!!
Sounds easy, right?!!?
My first list was as follows:
Bite |
Bliss |
Cobweb |
Curved |
Greasy |
Hang in There |
LadyBug |
Risk |
Wax |
Yellow |
I SO wish I could take you back to see all of the FABULOUS interpretations of these words!!! Let me tell you.....Scavengers are amazing, creative and fun!! For each word there are hundreds of interpretations!!!
So.
Much.
Creativity!!!
I was hooked after this round!!!
I haven't missed a single round since my first sign up!!!
Even when I was at my own personal worst, (life was very ugly for me for a bit there) the Hunt helped me focus on something else for a while!
I have submitted a photo for every word on each List. Not always the best photography, I'm a work in progress, but motivation to keep plugging on.
The List has made me think outside of the box, inside the box, under the box, through the box, around the box, and made me look for the essence of the box!
It is because of the Hunt that I found the Arcanum. I learned more about photography and post processing under my Master Instructor, Bob Young. As an apprentice in the Arcanum I had access to people all over the world giving feedback to help me improve my skills. Much like the Scavenger Hunt, but consistently. It was like having my Tribe with me every day, not just during the Hunt!!! It was another of my life changing experiences.
Because of the Hunt (and consequently, the Arcanum) I now have my own photography business, a web page for my work and have made actual money doing something that I absolutely LOVE!!!
<<< My website >>>
I found my niche, my style and my voice because of the Photo Scavenger Hunt, the people of the Hunt (my Tribe) and the process of the Hunt.
My latest entries for Round 26.....I think (hope!!) you will see a bit of improvement....
Courage |
Coward |
Curtain |
Home |
Monkey |
Rainbow |
Road |
Selective Color |
Sepia |
Wizard |
I highly recommend that you go see just what this Photo Scavenger Hunt is all about!!!
This is not the end of my story, just a
I will forever be grateful to the people of the Hunt.... Chrysta who had the idea and made it happen, kept it fun, Lauri and Elizabeth who have kept it going through ALL of the changes that were forced upon us, and each person of the Scavenger Tribe.
Y'all are in my heart, always.
#HappySads