At the recent 60th anniversary of St George Photographic Society, a guest speaker had a most inspiring story to tell.
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Jarod O'Shannessy, 25, of Kirrawee, was there to not only share his insights into his passionate art form, but also inspire other amateur photographers who find solace in creativity.
Mr O'Shannessy has bi-polar, autism and ADHD. At 15 years of age he was hospitalised because of a bad reaction to medication. At age 19, he was in a manic state and hospitalised for about two months.
He spent years "dancing with the devil", he said, but the thing that has helped him the most, was a love of being behind the lens.
The young man found his passion on an early 5am deep sea fishing experience with his family. They spotted a whale and calf. He quickly grabbing the camera and started shooting. With ideal timing, the photograph turned out astonishing. He is now the proud owner of Canon 5D MK 4 with an Aquatech REFLEX Pro Water Housing, and he ventures on his oceanic adventures, armed with an eye for details in nature's beauty.
His photos, which he regularly uploads to Instagram at oserenity_photo, have also been featured in surfing magazines including Tracks and Surfing Life. He also featured on a mental health podcast. A highlight was meeting international award winning photographer and his mentor Ray Collins at Miranda, and they have become good friends.
Completely self-taught, Mr O'Shannessy dabbled into photography about 13 years ago, and has taken photos in Hawaii and most recently in Indonesia. "It's a lot of experimentation," he said. "It comes with a lot of patience. I could be waiting in the water for hours before a five minute window opportunity comes up with the best light.
"Photography helps a lot with my frame of mind. For someone who suffers with a life long illness, it makes me feel at peace. Nothing else matters at that time except the moment. I want people not to put labels on themselves if they have a mental illness, but to use it as a super power."
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