“Is it any fun?” Words from one of my all time favourite movies: Mr. Holland’s Opus.

I had a relaxing, enlightening and thought provoking New Year’s Eve with my wife, Jan. She got out one of my all time favourite movies, Mr. Holland’s Opus and we watched it together. It’s more than just a relaxing movie to me. It’s about somebody who loves the arts and has dedicated their life to it. You probably know the story so I’m not going to go into that, but my favourite part is when Ms. Lang walks into his classroom and Mr. Holland says “You’re late.” Ms. Lang explains that she is going to give up the clarinet and as she turns to leave the room Mr. Holland asks “Is it any fun.”

He goes on to say: “Playing music is supposed to be fun. It’s about heart, it’s about feelings, moving people, and something beautiful, and it’s not about notes on a page. I can teach you notes on a page, I can’t teach you that other stuff.”

And then comes my favourite part when he asks her to play and after a couple of failed attempts he says:

 Mr. Glenn Holland: Let me ask you a question. When you look in the mirror, what do you like best about yourself?
Gertrude Lang: My hair.
Mr. Glenn Holland: Why?
Gertrude Lang: Well, my father always says that it reminds him of the sunset.
Mr. Glenn Holland: Play the sunset.

And from that comes my 2016 New Year’s Resolutions.

To “Play the Sunset.” To put a moratorium on the purchase of all new equipment and software programs other than to deal with broken existing equipment or upgrade software I already have.

This year I will take what 45 years in the profession of photography has taught me and think outside the box and push the envelope to create images that are “about feelings, moving people, and something beautiful.” I will follow the advise of Simon Sinek and ask the why; why did I get into photography and how does this fulfill that purpose, that dream.

It’s going to be an exciting journey and I invite you to follow me on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn as well as on my website.

Happy New Year!