Having not previously known
of Julia Margaret Cameron, I had to Google her; to see her art and read about
her life. After looking at some of her
images I really enjoyed reading her piece in Illuminations. One thing
that really struck me right off the bat was how she felt about her camera so
soon after getting it. Cameron says that
she “handled [her] lens with a tender ardour, and it has become to be as a
living thing, with voice and memory and creative vigor.” I think, as a photographer, that it is really
important to love what you are doing. You
must care for your equipment like you would a small child. Love and tenderness can only help you in the
long run. I am also drawn to Cameron
because of her enthusiasm. She knew
nothing about art of photography, but after getting one “good” print, she
turned her coal house into a darkroom, and got rid of her fowls (which made her
money from the eggs) to make a studio. She
took risks and her first successful print was slightly out of focus and blurry.
This didn’t matter to Cameron, because
she was proud of it. This made her
continue to make art, even photographing Charles Darwin and Sir Henry Taylor.
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