About Me

My name is Elayne, I am originally from the UK. I moved to Western Australia where I lived for a number of years, and now, I reside in the North Island of New Zealand.

I am a relative newcomer to Photography, I picked up my first DSLR camera in 2013 and I have never looked back. You could say, photography has taken me down a different path, it was my saviour and now, it is my passion. Click How did I get started in Photography

When I crashed and burned, the darkness of the abyss was all too consuming and crawling out, has taken a long time.

Depression and negativity shrouded my daily life, although,  I still fight both of them, these days I win more times than I loose.

I am not the person I used to be, the whole experience, If you can call it that, has been life changing, in more ways than one. I now understand the meaning of “finding yourself “.

Photography, helps keep me focused, even in my darkest hour, I still went out and took photos. It challenges me in many ways, and often pushes me well out of my comfort zone. It keeps me on an even keel, and has encouraged me to travel more and blog about my travels.

I am very lucky to have the support of my family and friends, (you all know, who you are) when at times, I am sure,  I must have driven them all nuts.

I also have a great counsellor, who has helped me sort out the wood from the trees. The brain can become a bit confused at times.

The first time I went down and visited the Fur Seals at Cape Palliser,  I connected with them right away. That connection, is even stronger today.

They have become part of my life,  they bring a level of peace and calmness,  I find nowhere else, when I go to visit them, its like going home and home for me, is wherever they are.

Sometimes, it can be hard to ask for help, being a very stoic person  it took me a while before I sought out any. Which in hindsight wasn’t a good thing.

I was against going to the doctor & counselling, I thought I didn’t need it. Then the shit hit the fan, so to speak, so I went to my GP and I received the help I needed.

I think the quote by Steve McCurry sums me up.

” My life is shaped by the urgent need to wander and observe, and my camera is my passport” and the poem by Robert Frost “The Road Not Taken”  for me at least, describes the path I have chosen to take. One I may never have taken, if I hadn’t crashed and burned and yes things are still tough but I am getting there.

The Road Not Taken by Robert Frost

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,

And sorry I could not travel both

And be one traveller, long I stood

And looked down one as far as I could

To where it bent in the undergrowth;

Then took the other, as just as fair,

And having perhaps the better claim,

Because it was grassy and wanted wear;

Though as for that the passing there

Had worn them really about the same,

And both that morning equally lay

In leaves no step had trodden black.

Oh, I kept the first for another day!

Yet knowing how way leads on to way,

I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh

Somewhere ages and ages hence:

Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—

I took the one less traveled by,

And that has made all the difference.

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