Wednesday, March 25, 2015

So caught up in life I forgot to take a picture

Recently I attended the wedding of one of my best friends.  I took a million pictures because it was just a blast and I don't get to see these people often.  I love taking pictures.  I love posting pictures.  I love it when you like and comment on my pictures.
But I'm noticing there are some moments when the camera needs to be put away so I can just fully take in the moment.  I know the whole point of taking a picture is so you can capture the moment. But there are certain times when you miss out because of that.  For instance, I was at my friends wedding and she was just about to walk downstairs, and her Dad was going to see her in her dress for the first time.  It was emotional and exciting.  Her Dad was getting his phone ready so he could take her picture as she walked down.  And I just thought, "No, you are going to experience this through your own eyes, not through the screen on your phone.  Because this moment is once in a lifetime!"  I told him that, took his phone, and captured the moment for him.  It was precious and wonderful and he was able to be fully involved in it.
Not every moment needs to be documented in pictures.  I got engaged in 2001.  I had no smart phone or Facebook or anything to document it.  But I remember everything about that moment.  I close my eyes and picture exactly where I was standing with Matt.  We were on a train platform in Portland and it felt like we were the only people there.  That moment is ours.  It's like our own little treasure.  It is one of my favorite moments in life.  And nobody can see it except him and me and that's just fine.
In a time when life is saturated with pictures, pictures, and more pictures, let's not forget to put the camera down and view life through our own eyes.  Let's get so caught up in life that we forget about our phones and posting and tweeting and really live in the moment and see the person in front of us.