Sometimes, you simply can't do it all...

It's certainly been a year that I won't soon forget!!!

However, things are starting to look up. I've had a positive result from my recent oncology appointment and for now, I'm in the clear.

Journeys through illness take their toll on everyone. Family, friends, colleagues, businesses, clients and of course the person who is unwell, are all affected in some way or another. When the news came back positive, I expected to be up and at it, back into things at full volume the very next day. That didn't happen.

Instead, my mood dropped and my motivation, which I expected would come flooding back disappeared once again. Talk about confusing. At the time I wrote my previous blog, I had been getting out and exploring, really pushing myself to get back in touch with my creative side. I was enjoying taking photos at some of my favorite places and sharing this experience with friends. I figured, once I was given the all-clear my motivation would simply just build from there.

But to my surprise, the opposite happened. Perhaps it was meant to be a time for reflection, not moving forward? I'm not sure, but what did happen was that I very quickly burnt myself out and got sick as a result. My doctor diagnosed me with Shingles, which I had in my mind was something that elderly people suffered from! Apparently not. An incredibly painful condition, and the anti-viral treatment wasn't too nice either causing serious fatigue.

So, after getting through my recent treatment and finally getting some good news, I found myself right back in the same spot. No motivation, no interest in photography and feeling crook all over again.

Right about the same time, a once in twenty-year solar storm arrived, creating a spectacular Southern Aurora. It's always been a dream of mine to see the Aurora, I figured I'd have to travel to Tasmania or even Norway to eventually see it one day. Feeling like crap, I dragged myself off the couch and took the kids down to Grange Beach. I wanted to drive further away, into the dark skies but I just didn't have the energy. It was such an uplifting experience to be able to experience the Southern Lights from Grange Beach, the place where my photography journey started really.

Hearing the kids squealing as they watched the lights and being able to capture this amazing phenomenon was just incredible. A reminder that photography can take you away from those dark places in your life, especially when you share them with loved ones. We drew a small crowd on the beach who were wondering what we were so excited about. Most were out for their regular evening walk being just after dusk and hadn't even noticed the Aurora as it stretched out into the night sky. Sharing and teaching is something I am so passionate about and I enjoyed showing people photos on my camera and talking about photography in general. Several people walked away with some nice images on their smartphones which was fantastic to see.

It was quite my luck that I wasn't feeling up to driving too far, as the very next day I blew the power steering hose on my car. That would've really topped things off, being crook with the kids and the car broken down hundreds of km's from home...

Everything happens for a reason.

'Beaming' - The Southern Lights over Grange Beach.

'Heaven & Earth' - The Southern Lights over Grange Beach.

Throughout my illness and the weeks following, I have tried to remain busy. Most of the time this hasn't been a problem with plenty of work on the go. Weddings, Workshops, Print Sales, Product Shoots, NDIS catch ups. I have hardly stopped this year, much to the dismay of my doctor. But that is the catch with self-employment, you simply can't stop, and it is a difficult time running a creative business with economic conditions tight for so many.

But as the weeks have rolled over, I've noticed that it has been taking longer and longer to get my energy levels up each day. More sleep doesn't seem to help and even a revamped diet which has been wonderful isn't recharging the batteries. My doctor summed it up pretty bluntly, she said 'You just need to rest, it's that simple'. But when? I thought to myself.

That's when I sat down and had a good look at just how busy I have become. Between running this business with multiple facets, plus being a father to two beautiful girls I have become that person who is busy almost 100% of the time. It's just not sustainable.

So, I made the difficult decision to pull out of running Photography Workshops. Teaching photography and sharing knowledge with others is something I am so very passionate about, but it's become a very difficult and time-consuming process. Numbers have also been inconsistent this year with lots of cancellations and re-schedules creating chaos for scheduling. Business costs are also a serious challenge, especially insurance where workshops are concerned.

I'm the type of person who doesn't like to take a backwards step, its usually 100% or nothing for me. This was a difficult decision to kill off something I have worked so hard with over the last two years to build. I have been so very fortunate to meet some wonderful clients, some of whom are now friends on this journey with workshops. But for now, its curtains for that side of the business. One on One tuition is still available, but the time this will afford me to just rest, and not have to constantly work will be incredibly beneficial.

So, I guess it's been a steep learning curve in looking after myself these last few months. I was able to keep all the balls in the air for a while, but sooner or later your health will remind you who is boss!!

I'm going to take a little break from getting out and capturing the world, or at least taking the pressure off myself to get out and shoot regularly. I'm going to take some time to rest and get myself back to full health before I try and jump back in full throttle. No doubt a few outings here and there will happen when the mood strikes, and the energy levels are there....

If you're still here reading, thank you. It's been so beneficial to put my thoughts down in writing to share with everyone throughout this year.

Here's a few images taken in the last few weeks, a few different styles to keep things interesting.

'The Gift' - An autumn sunset at the Torrens Outlet.

A 260 second exposure to create movement in the clouds and smooth out the water, creating reflections. I felt the fishing rod stuck in the sand (left side) added a touch of loneliness to this image.

'Galactic Hall' - Bondleigh Hall under the mighty Milky Way core.

Two separate images combined to create this scene. One 260 second exposure for the foreground and 9 x 90 second tracked and stacked images for the milky way, combined in Photoshop & edited in Lightroom.

'Life Unfolding' - Adelaide Botanic Gardens

Macro photography is a genre I don't spend too much time on, even though I find it enjoyable. This image was taken with my 105mm Macro lens using natural light.

'Drops' - Adelaide Botanic Garden

Another macro image taken using my 105mm macro lens. The focus point is the big droplet on the edge, shot at f2.8 to create a shallow depth of field and a silky-smooth background.