t happened today. I’m sitting in a coffee shop, enjoying a strong cup of whatever fancy brew they were serving when a woman walks up to me, looks me dead in the eye, and asks, “Are you Jack Hollingsworth?”
Yep, that’s me. Guilty as charged.
She mentioned my baseball cap and funky-rimmed glasses gave me away. “Alright, fair enough”, I thought to myself, I guess my whole “coffee-shop-hipster-chic” vibe is a thing, after all.
Of course, the real giveaway of my identity is that I was seemingly enthralled with editing photos on an iPhone.
Again, guilty as charged.
What really made my heart skip a beat, though, was what she said next. She told me she loved my Facebook posts and photos.
Thank you.
She said it with such warmth and enthusiasm that I swear, my cheeks were glowing. You know that feeling when someone actually sees you, without getting into the weeds of technical talk? Pure magic.
And then it came. The question, in a roundabout, much longer way, I didn’t expect but totally appreciated: “What motivates and inspires you?”
I nearly choked on my latte. It’s not every day someone asks you that! Usually, it’s the usual “What settings do you use?” or “What app do you use?”, or “What model iPhone do you shoot with?”—you know, all the techy stuff. But this? This was a question I could sink my teeth into.
So, I leaned in, rephrased it in my own words, and said, “Are you asking if my photography is reflective or directive?”
She paused. Her eyes lit up. It was like I handed her a gift.
Honestly, at that moment, I wanted to buy her breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Emotional intelligence on point.
Now, to get to the heart of the matter: Is my photography reflective or directive?
Well, here’s the thing. It’s both. I think it’s the beauty of the craft: the lens can act as a mirror, reflecting your inner world—the thoughts, the feelings, the chaos, the calm. But at the same time, the camera is a compass, directing your emotions, shaping how you see the world, and how you want to see the world.
One moment, I’m shooting something because it speaks to me, and echoes what I’m feeling at the time—reflection. The next, I’m chasing after a shot that inspires me to feel something new, something unexpected—directive.
It’s a beautiful push-and-pull. It’s an emotional tug-of-war. And that’s why I love photography. It doesn’t just capture life, it creates it, too. You may go into a shoot with one feeling, and leave with an entirely new perspective. How cool is that?
So, my fellow photographer (and coffee-shop muse), thank you for asking a question that goes beyond the usual. That’s the stuff I could talk about all day. If I could buy you a coffee, breakfast, lunch, and possibly dinner… I’d do it in a heartbeat. With extra whipped cream on top, of course.
Click.
Jack.
