A new-ish friend on social media congratulated me on my budding photography hobby. My heart sank.
The wishes were well-intentioned, but I wasn’t sharing a link to a new website focused on a hobby. I had resurrected a part of myself that Lyme Disease (temporarily) disabled.
Now that the Lyme is cleared and dormant, I’m getting back to me. In college, I studied journalism with an emphasis on print media. My core focus was in photojournalism and news writing, specifically features.
My entire career, I’ve floated between images and words.
But when my hands started cramping from rheumatoid arthritis (RA), and Lyme disease challenged my vision, balance, and energy levels, I had to pause on a few career endeavors, including my photography.
I’ve written extensively on this website about my healing journey over the years. How I manage RA. What treatments I did for Lyme disease. And, all the other ways I’ve worked HARD to get my body back into balance.
Now, it’s time to pivot from healing to doing.
Disclosure: This blog is reader-supported, which means this post contains affiliate links and advertisements. I earn a small commission if you shop through them, which helps fund this website so I can continue to bring you amazing content. Thank you! ~Angela
Back to Photography
My professional shutterbug addiction started in the newsroom. I love documenting events, people and places. Over the years, I also explored portrait work, helped a friend photograph weddings and created many, many pet portraits in collaboration with the Petco Foundation.
Slowly, as my health declined, so did my ability to take on photography projects.
Earlier this spring, I looked at my camera bag sitting in the bottom of my closet, and decided to take it on a little road trip. I swapped my iPhone photos for the fun of my Canon DSLR. I played with the aperture settings. I stupidly bumped the bracketing dial and made some dark images. I laughed as I edited the messy, but fun photos.
Recently, I added one of the photos I created (after getting the settings back on track!) to my new photography website. Yes, the butterfly above. Isn’t she pretty? It’s been years since I’ve shared images online for sale, and now I’m back. I have a new focus (Ha. Pun intended.) This time around, I’m shooting for fun. I’m playing with natural light, editing with abandon, and photographing wildlife and flowers—instead of brides and newsmakers.
Don’t get me wrong. I love a good editorial deadline and glowing newlyweds. Maybe they’ll come back into my workflow in the future. Who knows. But, for now, I’m playing with my art again, and it feels so good. And my camera-loving friends have noticed too. We’re teaming up for a collaborative gallery show in the fall of 2027 that I’m having fun planning and shooting. (Stay tuned for updates!)
Welcome to The Backroads Blog
As a true newsie turned content marketing gal, I’ve also launched a blog to help promote and support my photo work. (Gosh, it felt good to type that.)
You can visit the Backroads Blog on my website, AngelaTague.com. I’m sharing my road trip adventures in images and words because it brings me joy. I’m also sharing the images on SmugMug, where visitors can buy prints, framed art and novelty items to help fund my future photo adventures.
I feel like I’ve found my photography groove yet again. It looks a little different than it did in the past, but isn’t that what growth is all about? We evolve, shift and change as life moves forward.
Healing has been good to me.
I can change lenses, spin dials and document the world around me in the way I truly enjoy. I still love the camera technology in my smartphone, and take fun pictures with it often, but there’s just something cozy and nostalgic about grabbing my camera bag, playing with manual settings, and getting excited about post-processing that I’ve truly missed.
If you’re curious to see what I’ve been photographing lately, please visit SmugMug. Or, check out my latest back roads adventures in the Midwest. And yes, there’s a Facebook Page too. You know the marketing girl inside of me has created all the things…
What Does Healing Look Like for You?
I’d love to hear about your health journey and when you noticed your healing shift to doing. Did something come back into your life that you had to pause on while you focused on your health?
And if you’re still in healing mode, what’s working best for you right now? I’m always interested in hearing which approaches and daily practices truly move healing forward.
For me, it’s been a holistic approach to healing, ramping up my gratitude practice, weaving meditations into my daily life and doing the extremely hard shadow work to untangle the programming of social norms and past traumas. Whew!
Until next time,
Choose healthy!
Angela
PS: Wonder what I’m up to this week? Visit me on Facebook at Cupcakes and Yoga Pants!
