Nina Weinberg Doran

It’s remarkable how we arrive at certain places in life. You make a decision to do something new and it opens a window onto possibilities previously unexplored. 

For me photography emerged haphazardly. I’d been going through a tumultuous time and found myself struggling to find new meaning and peace.  I set off on my own, camera in hand, with the intention of doing nothing more than further explore a place I’d grown to love.  The camera was thrown in amongst the usual essentials; maybe I’d take it out now and then to encapsulate some lasting memories. What ensued was a metamorphosis: a few casual shots grew into an obsession. 

While out shooting and walking, everything else vanishes. I become immersed in areas rarely ventured and am granted glimpses into idiosyncratic moments of others’ lives. It’s the greatest peace I’ve ever known.  As I sift through my photographs, the memories adjoining the images are savored and as significant as the final result.

I am a self-taught photographer, picking things up by something akin to osmosis.  Time and again I was told by friends and colleagues that the photos evoked something more than the typical travel shot and I was encouraged to do more. I began to connect with fellow photographers who assisted in mentoring me.  Like the revelation of discovering more than “vacation shots” stowed away in my camera, I find sharing my photographs with a broader audience just as serendipitous.  

Shooting comes from somewhere deep within.  It is as though something murmurs, and I must wander off and shoot. My heart starts to beat wildly. My eyes blink like a shutter, as if to retain some images I may have missed. What ensues are these special moments, requiring communication with the subject, even if unspoken. Almost all of my photos begin with that flicker of human connection.   

What does the future hold?  I’ve always loved to travel. The second the wheels hit the runway, I’m conceiving my next journey.  With the added captivation to shoot, the urge is almost irrepressible.