This year, I decided to follow a dream and bucket list item; travel to every US National Park. In May, some friends and I took off for a challenge. We were to visit 5 parks in 5 days! Canyonlands was one of them. As a photographer I learned that an activity is to photograph Mesa Arch at sunrise. This is my favorite image from that experience.
Because my friends and I arrived so early, other photographers who showed up believed I was and referred to me as “the pro”! This was very rewarding to me. As I stood with other photographers snapping away for the perfect image, I thought to myself, “I’m really doing it, I’m really a photographer”. And I was instantly cured of the awful feeling of imposter syndrome.
Looking through Mesa Arch in person and through my camera was like looking through an open window. The outside looks dark, sharp, dreamy, and a bit uncertain. A place I didn’t want to visit anymore but somehow pulled me in. A place where I didn’t have confidence in myself or my work but didn’t understand why. A place I was all too familiar with…
But inside the window where I stood was bright and warm. Both from the rising sun and loving words of affirmation I received from a group of strangers. Maybe I was too hard on myself, maybe there’s nothing to be afraid of. Or maybe I just needed a new home for my imposter to live. Either way, I set him free through the open window of Mesa Arch.