We live in a visual time. All of us crazy millennials like to take pictures of everything, but we have a good reason for that. We like to capture memories as they are happening.
Take a wedding for instance. Flowers die, dresses can fade, cake gets eaten eventually, and meals can only be enjoyed once. As a recent bride, the most precious things I have from my wedding (besides my husband, of course) are the photographs and videos taken on my wedding day. It’s an opportunity to relive the happiest day of my life over and over again, and I can look at those at any time and they will always be there.
Have you ever found yourself frantically trying to find a picture of a certain place you visited or of you and a loved one only to find you don’t have any pictures of those moments or those people? Pictures are a gateway to the past that help you relive your most precious moments in the best places with the people you love over and over again.
Think about it… have you ever actually regretted taking too many pictures? I mean, sure- you may run out of memory card space and you may have a lot of pictures to sort through. But, in the end, aren’t you glad you have those pictures? Each time you touch those photographs it’s a visual time portal for you to have the chance to relive those memories over and over again.
Photographs allow you to show your memories to friends and family, and even grand-kids and great grand-kids. Look at this adorable picture of my grandparents. I came across this picture when my grandmother passed away 6 years ago, and it now hangs on the wall of my home. I look forward to showing that picture to my kids someday, and telling them all about my grandparents and the memories I shared with them.
My grandparents!
As a photographer, my favorite pictures to capture are candid pictures, where people are simply enjoying life and the company of their loved ones. Those pictures will be there for a lifetime for families to revisit and cherish, and even print and hang on their walls as a constant reminder of the people they love and the times they spent with them. Take a moment to look at the pictures surrounding you in your home. I can assume that most, if not all of them, bring you joy. I also can imagine all the memories that are currently flooding through your mind.
So take those selfies and pictures with your friends and family. Take pictures of your vacations. Take pictures at church and of special moments in people’s lives. You won’t regret it, because you are creating touchable memories at every sound of the shutter.