Monday 19 October 2015

Photos: Memories and Beauty Captured

I remember when we returned from Malaysia the first time I went overseas, many moons ago, the shock everyone expressed on the amount of photos we took.  We took 24 spools of 36 capacity films worth of photos.  Every one was asking why we took so many photos.  The answer:  Because there were so much to see and remember.  I wanted to remember every detail of all the amazing places I saw.
Backing up Bratling #1's trip photos got me thinking.  He made it home safe and sound with over 32GB (roughly 9300) photos.  It makes the 800+ photos of my first big trip seem like a drop in the bucket.  The digital age has improved the world for anyone who loves to take photos.

As a family we love taking photos.  Photos to remember things by, photos of things that catches our eyes.  Artistic photos and happy snappies.   The kids are allowed to use cameras as soon as they can figure out which button to push.  Our lives are documented in every possible way. 

I love my camera, and still remember how grown up I felt when my parents gave me my first camera for Christmas when I were 12 years old.  Luckily my dad included two spools of film for me, because by the end of the day I had used them both.  I couldn't wait to get them developed and see if I had any good photos.  Understandably a lot were out of focus and either over or under exposed. :D  It took a long time to get my mojo.  The person that got me to look at taking photos that weren't just happy snappies was my husband.  He opened up a world to me that was beyond family photos of holidays.

I started to look differently at everyday things.  I no longer just try and take a photo of a pretty flower, but tried to get the background to enhance the beauty of the flower.  Birds  have become a challenge, a really big one, as I don't have the right equipment, but I still love taking photos of them.  I got clever and set up feeders, which make them come to me.   Butterflies and other bugs get a whole new meaning to me when I take up my camera.  To me photography has become an artform.

I'm sure most of us love the idea of doing some form of art.  Not all of us can paint or draw or even make something with our hands that is useful and pretty.  But in today's world with the age of digital photography most of us can become budding photographers.  All you need is to look beyond the ordinary of an object to see the extraordinary in it.

So where is the blessing in this rambling? I think my blessing is found in the way that looking at things differently has made me appreciate them more.  And when I can appreciate these natural beauties more, I can appreciate their Creator even more.  And living a life of worship to my God, because of what He had done, is one of the biggest blessings I can think off.   I hope you can see it too.

Keep looking for the beauty around you, take as many photos as you want, but always remember Who gave it to you.

Have a wonderful week.
From Little Old Me.