Finding the right balance

 Amery pressed the shutter button, capturing the golden hues of the setting sun filtering through the mangrove trees. Photography was his passion, but more than that, it was his livelihood. As a young single father, every shot that he made mattered. Each one held the promise of a paycheck, a meal, or a new pair of shoes for his six-year-old daughter, Samantha.

His days started before dawn, preparing Samantha’s lunch, ensuring her uniform was neat, and walking her to school before rushing to catch the first light at the nature reserve. His clients expected breathtaking images, and Amery delivered, sometimes spending hours in knee-deep water, waiting for the perfect moment when a heron would take flight or a dragonfly would land on a lotus.

It wasn’t easy. The exhaustion crept in late at night when he edited photos by lamplight, sipping reheated coffee. But every moment with Samantha, whether helping with homework, laughing over bedtime stories, watching her dance in the kitchen, they all reminded him why he did it all. Work and life weren’t separate struggles; they were intertwined. His effort put food on the table, but it also gave him the ability to witness life’s wonders, both in nature and in his daughter's bright, curious eyes.

Balance, he realized, wasn’t about keeping work and life apart. It was always about embracing them together.