Being part of the inaugural 2023 Veteran Games up on the Gold Coast in Queensland is the start of my long journey back to professional photography. Many of you know that I am a staunch advocate for Men's Health and in particular Mental Health and Depression because I have lived it for over 5 years now. Countless psychiatric and psychology sessions, many different medications, alcohol abstinence and the very best family and friends support can't fix me. There had to be more that I could do to help myself, so this year (2023), I decided to try and help myself by withdrawing from all photographic events. This has been a blessing. Having said that, for the most of year I have struggled not taking photos but the mental health didn't miss me. It's hard to explain and I wouldn't expect anyone to really understand the issue but I'm grateful for those who try. When I saw the Veteran Games were being held this year and they were looking for sponsors and volunteers I thought I'd give it a crack. I emailed them and to my surprise they invited me to be part of the team as a volunteer photographer. Woohoo, back on the job but avoiding all the pressure that's put on me by the organisers and more importantly myself (edit - sadly I put the same pressure on myself). As I sit in the airport on my way to the venue, I'm overwhelmed with anxiety but somewhat a little excited about the next 5 days. I expect to provide many great images, albeit, with a little less pressure. I will upload a gallery over the weekend, thanks for checking this page out. Stay tuned and stay true.
Update - The Games are over and the images have been uploaded on this page. I'm exhausted both physically and mentally, the pressure high over the weekend has now turned into exhaustion, with a small sense of achievement. Overall a win for me, I'll take that!!!
