Steve Parry image

Facing challenges with a positive attitude

My name is Steve, and I’m a photographer. This story has two parts: my personal journey and how I get to use these skills to help others.

My journey started many years ago in high school when I was forced to choose between photography or art, much to my disgust at the time. In those days, we used black and white film. I can still remember being in the school darkroom and seeing my first image appear in a developer tray as if by magic.

My mum has always been an enthusiastic photographer and was so interested in hearing about this new experience that she soon had dad converting the laundry into a light sealed darkroom. And so began my lifelong passion for creating images.

I have always seen photography as a creative art form and enjoy pushing it to the limit. Well, my limit anyway. When I look back at some of those early images, they are incredibly amateurish, but enthusiasm was very high all the same.

All these years later, I am still here, creating images, using many cameras, rolls of film, and, more recently, memory cards. Now my work is done mainly for other people. Mark Twain made the comment that sums this up the best, “Find a job you enjoy doing, and you will never have to work a day in your life.”

This described my job when I was an in-house photographer for a large company where a colleague was heard to say that it was unfair that I got paid to come to work and do my hobby. Maybe he was right.

Now I’m working as a commercial photographer at Relive Imaging, and it isn’t quite that simple. Sometimes it’s stressful and challenging, but I’ve learned to face the challenges with a positive attitude, and the experience always makes it just a little easier next time.

The second part of this story is about being able to help other people. In the Armadale area, several community groups only exist because of a large body of volunteers that keep these groups functioning. The groups I have been involved with are run by key people who are absolutely amazing. They put hours into managing their teams, on top of their incredibly busy private lives, holding down regular jobs and raising families of their own. Yet, they still find the time to be the backbone of these outstanding community groups.

It has been an absolute pleasure to help support some of these groups by supplying photos or videos. This has helped them promote events and increase public awareness of issues where funding was required to continue. Even though I was helping them, I have still felt very humbled at times when these already busy people could find the time to work with me. The satisfaction that comes from helping others and volunteering in the community is truly rewarding, and I guarantee you will meet some of the most amazing people.

Page Last Reviewed 9 May 2023