Wanderlust in Motion

by Guest Blogger Tricia Zeigler

Hello Happiness Hour attendees!  This article came about by making a statement over dinner one evening with Linda and another photographer that I was giving some thought to starting a blog about trips with my camper and my photography.  Careful what you say around Linda!  This resulted in an “assignment” to compose an article about why I do this camping and photography thing.  When presented with the question, I really did not have an immediate answer.  I consider myself an amateur hobbyist photographer.  Pretty much a loner. If I did not get out with my camera, I would never do anything. Always considering photography as a hobby, a series of events over the past few months made me come to realize that others are inspired, sometimes moved, by my photographs.

I live near New Sweden, so the church and surrounding farmland have become frequent and favorite subjects for my photography.  I really enjoy the seasonal changes of the landscapes and watching farmers tending to their crops throughout the year.  I posted the image of the New Sweden church to Facebook and Instagram in August of 2020, and several things transpired from that post.  The first was a comment from a lifelong friend of mine, stating that she wanted a copy of the image because her paternal grandparents told stories of their experiences as sharecroppers picking cotton around the New Sweden area after losing their farm during the Great Depression. 

 Feeling the need to provide my friend with an image with better resolution, I returned to the area for several consecutive days to capture the scene in different lighting situations.  The first evening, there was a couple setting up to shoot the scene, and I asked whether I could share the area with them.  The woman responded asking, “Are you Tricia Zeigler?” Wondering how in the heck perfect strangers would know who I am, I hesitantly replied that, yes, indeed I am. The woman responded that they were there because of me, stating that they had seen my Facebook post from the night before and drove an hour from Temple to shoot it.  I simply cannot describe what a “WOW” moment that was for me, that someone appreciated one of my images enough to want to capture it themselves.  I had a great time shooting with the couple, and it was a pleasure to share with them what turned out to be an amazing sunset.

The following evening, I met up with a local Austin photographer who came out to capture the scene.  Throughout the rest of the week, I enjoyed seeing many fantastic images of the scene posted by photographers I admire and follow on Instagram!

I have continued to experience moments that make me realize how feelings are associated with photographs.  The image of the frozen creek bed was captured on January 10, 2021 when we experienced a wonderful day of snowfall in Central Texas.  A woman commented on my Facebook post that the scene looks “exactly like a tiny stream…” that used to freeze over where she grew up in Ohio.  Her comment included a wonderful story about how she and her sister would walk to see the fish under the ice and would fall through it every winter, end up getting sick, and her grandmother’s old-school remedy.  Such a fantastic story!

Another image of a tractor from the same snow day prompted this comment: “Red tractors make me smile.  Beauty and memories.”

 So, all of this to say, whether amateur or professional, I have realized that the images we shoot and share as photographers are impactful.  In return, our lives become enriched by the stories our images evoke.  Few individuals take the time to comment about how an image made them feel, so there must be countless others whom we unknowingly touch.  I will forever be in awe and humbled by this!

As I have been thinking about completing my “assignment” over the past few weeks, I stumbled across this quote by Eckhart Tolle:

This quote made the lightbulb go off for me about what I hoped to communicate in this article.  Through photography, we capture what for us, in that moment, was a beautiful scene or an event we were experiencing.  Our images subsequently allow us, and others, to revisit those moments that otherwise might fade from our memory as time marches on.  So, in answer to the question, “Why do you do this?” —- I guess my response is simply to capture and share present moments.

Over a year ago, I decided to invest in a camper so that I could travel farther, stay longer, and be out in nature 24-7 rather than stay in a hotel, or gosh sakes NO, not in a tent!  I plan to create a website to blog about images captured during travels in my teardrop camper named Towanda. You heard it here first!  LOL!!!  I’m still struggling with what to call the website/blog and welcome any suggestions! In the meantime, I can be found on Instagram at @trishzatx.  A big “THANK YOU” to Linda for giving me the nudge (should I say, push?), to write this, and for encouraging and inspiring so many of us to recognize our potential, to improve our photography, and to make wonderful connections and friendships along the way.

Tricia Zeigler is as native of a Texan you will find. With her camera, teardrop camper, Towanda, and her pup, Winnie you can find her on the road and on instagram @trishzatx (https://www.instagram.com/trishzatx/).