Penelope Simmonds
29 May 2023
Penelope Simmonds is a Sydney-based physiotherapist and body psychotherapist, who supports her clients holistically.
Hello! It’s such a joy to be able to finally welcome you to Your Inner Light Photography and my little patch of internet earth.
I can now see that photography’s always been around me in some form. I remember Dad experimenting with portraits and different lenses and long exposures where I had to stand frozen in a location, count to ten, then dash to another spot as the image transferred onto film, and we’d delight at the ghostly images it created. I even have my grandfather’s vintage tripod tucked away.
As a performer, I’m naturally drawn to storytelling, through acting, presenting and narration. And although I love language, photography so often communicates things we cannot say.
During a personally challenging time I rediscovered photography. It was New Year’s Eve and I came across blogger Fat Mum Slim’s Photo A Day project, where people from all around the world photograph their response to a given word every day. I’m big on the new year bringing a fresh start, so I decided to give it a go. I thought I’d last five days then give up. Instead, I found such a love and comfort in photography that I shot every day for five months. I gave myself permission to be ‘bad’, I let myself focus on the joy of it rather than the product or comparisons with other people’s work, and delighted in the beautiful community she created through this project.
Slowly my inner light began to re-emerge.
Presenting live TV, I work with so many brands and learn a lot. But one night when I was due to go on air, another presenter was sick, and I was asked to step in and present a photography brand. using my own images to demonstrate the product. Yes it was terrifying, but it was also wonderful. I could share my love of photography with our audience and it showed me just how powerfully it could change people’s lives, even photographing something in our backyards. Over the years that followed, I tried out some amazing cameras and my love for photography grew.
I once visited New York City, and arranged for my friend and I to take a helicopter ride over Manhattan. I sat next to the pilot in the front seat, clutching my trusty camera and, even though it was a moody, rainy, misty day – I had a prime view of the city skyline. I still remember the pilot turning to say something to me and then just stopping in his tracks as he saw my face, beaming. “You really love this, don’t you?” I nodded.
The other thing I’ve loved – since I can remember – is watching people talk about or do something that lights them up. I find their energy becomes infectious. At acting school, we spent a lot of time learning to connect emotionally and truthfully in our scene work, and we became very adept at knowing when someone was really connected to what they were saying – because we could feel it. We felt magnetised by them, we knew in our bones that what they were saying was resonating.
When I began to photograph people, I wanted to create that same light and truthful connection I’d experienced in other forms of storytelling. When someone is truly who they are, they become magnetic and compelling. When they are lit up, we recognise it and feel lit up ourselves. It’s truly an exquisite mystery of our lives as humans. And truly the highest compliment a client can pay me is when they say “you really captured me“.
So now I photograph people’s spirit. Their inner light. And I love it.
I’m so glad you’re here. Thanks for joining me.
Penelope Simmonds is a Sydney-based physiotherapist and body psychotherapist, who supports her clients holistically.
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