The thing about photographers is they notice little details. They notice the way the sun is setting and what exposure to use and how to position the people in the photograph to make it look just right. They notice the bright red of holly against a foggy snow colored sky and know that the juxtaposition of it matters. They notice blades of bright grass versus dull grass. The bees peeking out of flowers instead of just the flowers. They notice, they see, they snap, they capture. They capture moments.
But one thing I realized that is the downfall of at least of my new found photography love, is that sometimes I forget to live in the moment. I'm too busy capturing it that I'm not living it. I realized that as yesterday I took so many photos, pretty photos, that I hardly was joining the moment. Instead I was an outsider photographing the moments. I realized that there are so many pictures of me as a kid playing in NC and in the snow and making goofy pictures without me asking for them. I just was doing my own thing and living in the moment and my Dad was there to capture it for me. I guess, sometimes I need to let other people capture it so I can make moments too. And even if they don't capture it, it's still very important that I make them. That way I can always have them in my head, even if no one else can experience them. So, walking through NC today, I limited my picture taking. And I just let myself enjoy and have fun and live. Without thinking about angles, lighting, focus, and all that jazz.
Sometimes a photographer needs to realize how to get the best of both worlds.
This is so true! I often catch myself snapping pictures rather than joining the moment. I'm trying to get into the habit of finding a balance between capturing and actually making the memory.
ReplyDeleteTHIS IS SO TRUE!!!! I've noticed this about myself. When I am in a scenic moment, all I'm thinking about is capturing the photographs and I rarely just stop and enjoy. I need to work on that :)
ReplyDeleteAMEN. I came to this realization a few months ago after i got my Nikon, i was stressing out about the fact that i'm the only one in my family who takes pictures, and the burden of it was weighing me down, because you know, pictures are important and i wanted to save the memories. but then i just had to take a step back and realize it wasn't the end of the world if i didn't capture everything. i had to realize that always being the outsider just to get the pictures isn't worth it. i had to learn how to be content with LIVING the moments, not capturing them. And now i'm learning the art of balancing both of those acts. i wish people gave photographers more credit, because its not as easy as it seems doing what we do, when we do it right.
ReplyDeletehehe. ok. done now. :D
I know exactly what you mean! Especially with a child, you want to capture everything but you don't want to be behind a camera all the time. I only bring my camera on a few outings a month, and try to be here now a little more :)
ReplyDeleteUh, huh, been there done that! =D
ReplyDelete`Jenny