10 reasons photography transformed my life
Noticing and appreciating
Being more present
Not looking back
Meeting so many different people
A passport to so many unique experiences
Feeling the fear and doing it anyway
Creating - Expression is the opposite of depression
Audacity, boldness, courage, belief
Inspiration & impact
Legacy
Tracey Davies, Documentary Photographer
Noticing and appreciating
Photography has the beautiful ability to make you stop and notice, to see light, shadows, shapes, emotion and expression in people’s faces, compassion and passionate reactions, celebration and connection. It humanises, it brings life to life in a fuller more colourful and explicit way.
Children celebrating, Mini Match Play at Essex Cricket. Tracey Davies Photography
2. Being more present
For me, my best photographs are taken when I am fully present in the moment in front of me. Absorbed in what is happening, observing, listing and feeling all of what is going on in that very present moment. I then try to imagine myself from everyone’s perspective in that moment, my perspective as the photographer and what I feel and want to capture, what the person on my left is experiencing, the right, in front and try to take photographs that may represent the closest I can get to their experience too. This is how I like to photograph, not just capturing what is in front of me, capturing what is going on in the people in front of me.
Groom’s emotion - Wedding at Friern Manor, Essex. Tracey Davies Photography
3. Not looking back
Photography is very unforgiving in that if you miss a a real live moment, there is absolutely nothing you can do to get it back, change the fact you missed it, change the fact you may have messed up, it’s gone! You have to move on quickly otherwise you will just miss another moment, so you cannot risk putting your head down or beating yourself up, or going over it and over it, it is gone - that’s it! You have 0.0001 of a second to decide to click your shutter - if you don’t, in a blink of an eye it’s gone. We cannot get back the last 0.00001 of a second that just happened in our lives. I have translated this to life and oh my it has helped my mental health and stress levels so much. I really do not dwell on the past anymore, what can be done. As long as I learn and become a better person, keep learning and building from mistakes, but thrashing myself and going around in circles over things - no, I let go, I learn - I move on! Next moment please.. I need to be present otherwise the past will hit you from behind and the future will trip you up. Be present - always!
Bowled Out! Tracey Davies Photography
4. Meeting so many different people
I have met so many different people, hundreds of new people through weddings and events. My life is so much more richer for meeting so many amazing people in so many different spaces and spheres of life. From the people that are so inspiring working on inclusive fashion and being part of London Fashion Week; to sports players and to lovely couples getting married for their wedding days; people shaping decisions at House of Lords and House of Common’s events; artists at music festivals; all the people and guests at events who are just lovely. So many incredible humans out there, reminding me every day - the world is full of great people! Inspiration is out there if you look for it, kindness is out there and great humans - are absolutely out there!
Keane performing live at the Oval for the Cricket without Boundaries Anniversary Dinner. Tracey Davies Photography
5. A passport to so many unique experiences
Photography is the most beautiful passport to the whole world. It has opened up so many doors, opportunities and experiences for me and long may that continue. I am so grateful to what photography gives me and keeps on giving. I am fortunate to be one of the photographers off to the Homeless Football World Cup in Mexico City in January 2027; I am so excited for this, this is such a privilege to be part of.
I have had the privilege of photographing a destination wedding in France; London Fashion Week a few times now; House of Lords and Commons events; Other corporate and community events. Professional Sport events; music events and many, many incredible weddings, parties and celebrations. I have even photographed a funeral, it was a traditional, classical true London funeral, I was quite sceptical about photographing this at first - being that my photography is usually so joyful. However, it was actually an incredible experience and this was a celebration of life and there were moments of joy in what was a really tough day saying goodbye to someone so many will miss so much.
Funeral, London. Tracey Davies Photography
6. Feeling the fear and doing it anyway
You do or you don’t in photography, if you don’t you may miss the most incredible moment - so I choose do! This has taught me in life to apply this same principle - Go for it! What is the worse that can happen? I can fail epicly, I can get egg on my face, I can fall over and embarrass myself, I can mess up 100 times, none of these things will ever be as bad as not having tried at all. If you stay the same you always get the same. You have to do something different to get something different! So do! be! go for it! Feel the fear - and do it anyway! Or regret what could have been if you did not go all in.
7. Creating - Expression is the opposite of depression
I truly believe that expression is the opposite of depression. I know that creativity is in the front of the brain, stress is at the back. I am not a Neuro scientist or psychologist, but I know this much.. I know my own mental health is ten fold better when I am doing something creative, when I am using both hands, when I am present, when I am immersed in the activity at hand.
My life and mental health have completely transformed since doing photography as regularly as I do.
8. Audacity, boldness, courage and belief
It may be that I am older now, at the age of 42 as I write this post, or that my life experiences have shaped me to be like this. In photography, I have to have the audacity, boldness, courage and belief that I can in every event or wedding that I booked for. Imposter syndrome always creeps in at times, nerves and the pressure to meet expectations and deliver is undoubtedly always there. Especially on a wedding day when you often have a quite a few ‘one chance’ moments. I have had to coach myself to talk to myself so positively and affirmatively to believe in myself, to back myself - otherwise I just would have never have even started. I apply this to everything now. If there is a will - there is always a way! If I don’t know how, I will learn how.
Always - believe, have the audacity to step into the room, the boldness to hold your head high, the courage to dare to take those risks and the belief you can do it, no matter what!
Planning Futures Event, House of Lords. Tracey Davies Photography
9. Inspiration & Impact
Photography inspires me every day. I love following the works of other great photographers who continue to inspire me and help me to continually grow and be a better photographer. I also hope that my photographs inspire and have impact. Photography has certainly impacted my life in more ways than I ever imagined. Photography can be used for greater impact in the world, to convey meaningful messages, to show the best of humanity, and I hope this is something I will continue to grow even into more as I develop more as an artist and practitioner.
10. Legacy
Photography often makes me question what legacy do I want to leave, what legacy do my photographs have, are memories enough? It is wonderful to give people lasting memories from the most wonderful days and times with their cherished families and friends, it is one of the main reasons I love what I do. I feel wanting more and maybe that speaks to inspiration and impact too - the greater the inspiration and impact, maybe then the greater the legacy will be left. My ambition is to move people, to affect hearts and minds. If my images can stir emotion, recreate the atmosphere, I know then - I am doing a good job as a photographer. Applying to the rest of life - it has made me think, if photographs I gift to hundreds of people for their legacy on a regular basis - how can I ensure I live my life in a way that I want to be remembered well. By being the best daughter, the best sister, cousin, niece, Auntie, friend, photographer, I can be. These things are the things that matter, and it puts life into a perspective. No one cares what sofa you had, or what car you drove, where your latest pair of shoes came from. They remember how you made them feel. I want to do this through how I live, how I show up, how I am, how I photograph.
Wedding in Dedham. Tracey Davies Photography