On my way home from the ballgame last night, I got lost in thought (not abnormal to get lost; the thought part is occasional) about why I love to take photos. Someone commented to me that they could tell I was passionate about it. I'd never really thought of myself as passionate about anything, but last night, in my wandering mind, I realized that yes, I am passionate about photos.
I've always remembered past events in a photo-like slideshow. When someone thinks back about an unforgettable moment, he or she can picture that moment just as it was; perfect and complete. The colors, the emotion, the physical senses - they're all there - etched in our brains as a memory. What I love about photos is that they are a physical memory - they are a physical moment. What we remember in our heads is there to hold in our hands. And while, yes, the basics of being able to take a good photo...composition, lighting, exposure, are undoubtedly important - especially if you're being paid to know how to do so, it's the moment that is truly the reason for the photo. When families reminisce over old photos, you never hear someone say, "Oh this twenty year old photo of Uncle Ted and cousin Billy is so sweet, but the exposure is so overblown." No, instead, you see a smile creep across the face of the person holding the photo as she realizes the preciousness of having a moment between her family captured forever - even if she does have to squint to clearly see the faded photo.
That's why I'm passionate about doing this. I want families to look back in twenty years and remember a moment that I happened to be blessed enough to catch for them. Photos truly are more than images on paper. They are a physical reminder of our emotions - wonder and love, but sometimes anger and sadness. They are a representation of everything that makes us feeling beings. And I love that I get to be a part of that.
Being lost in thought really isn't that bad.
