During my stay in Thailand earlier this year we were visiting that place called the Sanctuary of Truth. After having finished the visit, I got asked by the people I was traveling with if I took any good photos. You have to know that they are really not into photography, so I guess it was them just wanting to show some interest and curiosity. But it was a very interesting moment for me because I couldn't really answer.

One was because I didn't even question myself whether I took good photos or not. And two, after a few seconds of thinking, I realized that I probably did not take any good photos, some were presentable but that’s it really. So I answered something like “I don't know, maybe, but you know what probably not”. They felt a bit sorry for me but they were more surprised that I looked to be OK about not bringing back nice photos of that location. That led me to reflect on this and I started to explain that photography is not only about the photos you take and the nice ones you decide to keep.

I was the one in the group that probably spent the most amount of time looking around and watching all the details, beautiful things that you can see at that location, also observing people around me and how they interact with each other. I know that I am not too much in to History knowing all the little anecdotes of the places I visit but because of photography I am motivated to appreciate them as they deserve.

Everyone says that the most important in any pursuit is to enjoy the process and not the destination. In the case of photography the destination would be taking good photos, having recognition in your community, or raising a successful photography business. In opposition, there are many ways to enjoy the process of photography, they are very individual and often times it is a combination of several things.

For example, a street portrait photographer who is a “people person”, what he or she likes in the end in the practice of this kind of photography is connecting with people. They like sharing stories, spending a moment with someone. And then, the photography, or the photographs, are the last thing that will top their interaction.

For some it is an incentive to go outside and spend time in nature while others are saying that they like to go on photo walk because it clears their mind. It's more like a mental therapy for them. And for me it's also a bit about that. But now, many years into photography, it's how it opened my eyes and made me appreciate the beauty, the complexity, the little details of everything around me. It could be somewhere special like the Sanctuary of Truth, but also in daily life, being aware about the light, the seasons, the changing landscape. It’s about appreciating also the little things that are part of our mundane everyday life.

I knew that deep down inside me, but being asked at the time if I took good photos was a good trigger to force me to put words onto that feeling and explain it to someone else. If you can stick to photography for more than a few months you will have to find the things that make you enjoy the process. So you will have a reason to keep on doing it and you will realize that photography, in many occasion, is not even about the photos.