The Burden and Joy of Photography

You ask how could photography ever be a burden? It is when you find yourself attached to your subject and immerse yourself in your subject's world if wildlife is your genre. Every year zoos across the world laud their "zoo babies", come and see, bring the family, bring your friends! Zoos in their way serve a purpose to educate and preserve that which may be lost forever. But what about wild "babies". What about wildife in your midst that now bring forth new life in the spring? Often hidden in darkness and under cover for safety, this new wonderful contribution to the earth is often hidden from human eye and well should be. But when a wildife photographer has that luxury of peering into the emergence of new life and its successful progression, it's a luxury that often sustains the heart forever. But the burden? When that "wild" opportunity disappears, there's a heartache that injures the soul. There's a loss inexplicable. The joy? That you were ever granted by the universe such an extraordinary gift seeing new life hop, jump, run and explore. You tell yourself once that opportunity is gone, you never want to feel the absence of their presence again. But then you pour over images taken, moments, memories and realize you have a duty to bring your joy to others. You must tell their story whether long or short and share with others that while your heart aches for their presence again, your joy is showing others through photography that they lived and you were there.