How Nature and Photography Change My Life
Hello! For those who don't know me, my name is Sarah Fontes and I am the Executive Director for Focus on Nature. Nature and photography have changed my life, and I wanted to share my story with you and highlight why I am such a big supporter of the work we do here at Focus on Nature.
When I was 16, I was sponsored to go on a youth exchange program to Australia for a month. On this exchange, I was set up with two different host families and attended a camp for exchange students from around the world. At this time I was a shy and rather timid youth, and was forced to cope with the idea that I was on the other side of the world, away from anyone else I knew. I began to find myself going outside more often to manage the anxiety. To keep my mind occupied, I decided to bring my first digital camera with me and began to take photos. By the end of my trip, I had spent more time outside taking photos of nature than I had my entire life. I started to find a beautiful world in an unfamiliar place and it began to give me peace. I would spend many nights lying on the grass looking up at the stars and realizing that even though I was on the other side of the world, the people I love could also be looking at the sky right now and admiring the beauty around them. Throughout this trip, I found like-minded people who also enjoyed being outside and eventually came out of my comfort zone and made a few friends around the world.
As I started to become an adult, life started to get away again. It can be easy to get stuck in the day-to-day routine of going to work, coming home from school, or just going through the motions. As the years began to pass by, I found myself getting more depressed and anxious again. I started to tell myself that this was all there was and I began to forget the incredible adventures I had experienced. It is very easy to get caught up in paying your bills and saving and I began to forget what living is all about. A co-worker inspired me to start doing photography again and motivated me to get back outside. Together we decided to travel to Belize in 2013, where this passion for nature and photography came back to life. From then on, I started to find solitude in escaping reality to the beautiful world around me. I began to go on vacations with my brother and we started exploring hiking trips and camping in other countries, starting with Hawaii, then to Iceland, Ireland, England, Scotland, and Florida. These adventures gave me a new perspective on life. My family had never been well off on money, and by camping and adventuring in nature, I have been able to begin to see the world and capture it through my camera and continue to keep persevering As finances became even tighter, we began to explore our backyard in Ontario. We started backcountry camping at the Bruce Peninsula, hiking the trails of Point Pelee, and finding local walking trails around our hometown.
As I have grown up over the past 15 years I have truly seen what nature has to offer not only for youths but for adults as well. I have noticed my physical health has greatly improved over the years, as I spent more time going on my adventures and spending time outside. I saw a significant change in my mental health, especially around anxiety and depression when I am outside, and the times I have been more focused on being in nature. As I have gotten older my mind hasn’t been as quick as it used to be, and there seem to be holes in my memory. Thanks to the art of photography that has accompanied me on my travels, I can now relive those experiences any time I feel I need an escape or break from life’s stressors.
When the pandemic happened, I depended on my past travels and nature photos to bring me back to that sense of peace and relaxation. The photos help trigger memories I have begun to forget and will continue to slowly slip away.
I truly believe that nature and photography are the answer to so many of my day-to-day struggles and it has changed my life for the better. I am very passionate about our mission at Focus on Nature because I have personally seen the benefit that nature and photography can bring to our youth and the long-lasting changes they can make in someone's life.
