Think about where you came from, where you grew up, the people you spent time with, the things that amazed you as a child. Now think about where you are now. Your career, your dreams for the future. My guess is, you can see strong connections to those things you want now, and even how you act, from where you started.
I'm beginning to develop a strong interest in people's origins. Recently I got to spend time with a good friend in her home town. Now I know this person rather well, but seeing her in her hometown was rather different. Not just that I was seeing her in a different context than where I have always known her, but I was able to see the things that shaped her into the person that I know. This provided a really cool atmosphere for getting photos, because not only was I photographing a beautiful city and countryside, but with it came stories from her childhood, high school, and other random memories she had with those places. I began to capture the environment around me not just as something that I thought was a pretty place, but as a part of my good friend. It gave me a whole new appreciation for what I was seeing and capturing.
I imagine it would be the same for someone to come hang out with me in my home town. I know exactly what restaurants, coffee shops, landmarks, and hang out spots I would take them, and they would have a different understanding and appreciation for those locations. People would hopefully be able to see me in a new light, it would make a little more sense to them why I act certain ways, why I photograph specific things, and why I talk about my hometown so often.
Being with my friend in her town helped me understand why appreciate my home, my origin, so much. It truly helped craft me into the person that I am. The reason I am drawn to landscape photography is because of the beauty of my hometown. The reason I love marketing photography, is because I was always surrounded by REI and Patagonia and Subaru adds, depicting great product placement, beautiful surroundings, and exciting adventures. The reason I enjoy portrait photography is because my friends and I used to go hiking, or driving through the mountains, taking pictures of each other, and enjoying each others company.
I'm excited to keep experiencing this, enjoying people's homes, and attempting to photograph it in a way that captures the beauty and memories that they see when they see those places, faces, and buildings.