It's Not Our Cameras. It's Us.

So, there’s a whole tribe of us out there—people who see the world like it’s a living poem and can’t help but try to capture it, even if our phones are held together by hope and cracked screens.

So when people say, “Wow, you must have an amazing camera!”

Well ,no Sharon, my camera is aggressively average. It’s a Samsung phone so unremarkable it could be mistaken for a calculator.

Let’s unpack this with an analogy shall we?Cooking do I love it? Absolutely not. I cook under duress. If my food tastes like it’s been emotionally neglected, that’s because it has.

Sure, I’ve had phases—tiny, manic blips—where I got into it. And yes, during those brief culinary honeymoons, my food was incredible. But the second the joy dies? So does the flavour. No love, no magic.

Getting it yet? It’s not about the object—it’s about the energy.

So it’s less about our cameras, and more about how we see things.

When I’m on a trail, I’m not just doing laps for my Fitbit. I’m fully immersed. Obsessed. Romantically entangled with the moss on a tree. I see the light filter through leaves like stained glass. I see the story in a single fallen petal. You’re checking your steps; I’m having an emotional affair with a rock formation.

People have literally walked beside me, seen the exact same views, and then looked at my photos and asked, “Wait—where was that?” Right next to you, Sandra. You were too busy power walking like it was an Olympic qualifier.

My old phone had the photographic prowess of a spoon. And yet—out on a trail? Magic.

Not because of the tech, but because of the intention. We see the shot before we even lift the phone.

So us weird trail-photo people, we get each other. We see each other. Even though we’re all low-key competing for that one shot that makes everyone else scream, “HOW?!”

It’s this bizarre, beautiful mix of mutual respect and silent rivalry. Like, “I love your work! Also, I hate you a little for getting that shot before I did.” All very wholesome. All very unhinged.

Unfortunately, for most of us, our videos havn't quite caught up yet. Turns out shaky footage, heavy breathing noises, and unexpected hiking boot cameos don’t exactly scream “art.” But hey—if passion counted for something, we’d have Oscars by now.