Trent Ence Shares How His Study Abroad to Europe Ignited a Passion for Photography and Capturing Unique Moments of Interaction
On a photography study abroad trip to Europe, I discovered a new passion for finding and capturing unique moments of interaction. The objects in these images from boats to rock stacks will never be the same again. They will move or someone will add another rock to the stack. The experience of this life is not made of what is surrounding us, but it is made up of our interactions with those things.
Before this photography study abroad to Europe, I had never been outside the US or Canada. This was the best possible trip I could have done to experience Europe for the first time. I learned so much about photography, and I found a new passion.
Most of the students on this study abroad did not have very much photography experience, including myself. As I learned how to capture images with my camera, my camera slowly became an extension of my eyes. If I could see something, I could now capture it and save it forever.
I began to look for the unique moments that do not just require you to be in the right place, but also require you to be there at the right time. I took photos not just of landscapes or of things. I took pictures of people interacting with a view or with an object, and I took pictures of objects that are temporary and will not always be there to be photographed.
The world we live in is full to the brim with beautiful things. However, it doesn’t matter if they are beautiful if no one interacts with them. The people in these images are truly experiencing something. There are no distractions like phones or social media. They are fully present in whatever they are doing.
Sometimes, as I look through the lens of my camera, I realize the moment I am in. I put my camera down. Instead of taking a picture, I just live there in the moment. A beautiful moment with me and the world.
