Photography and Enjoying the Moment

One of my favorite quotes is from The Secret Life of Walter Mitty (one of my all time favorite movies). Sean O’Connell says, “If I like a moment, I mean, me… personally, I don’t like to have the distraction of a camera. I just want to stay in it. Right there… right here.”

This quote hit me on a personal level.

I have loved taking photos for as long as I can remember, from my underwater disposable cameras to my AA battery powered digital camera, from my flip phone to the Nikon DSLR I inherited. I can get sucked into the viewfinder and lost in my own world.

But as time has gone on and I find myself taking pictures in places like Yosemite Valley and Zion National Park; from the top of Mount Harvard; and Paris and Amsterdam, I realize I still get lost inside that little viewfinder.

Capturing the things that give me pause is important. It guides me to continually see the world in new ways. And I hope that I can share that different perspective with the people around me.

But I’ve also come to learn that there’s a time to be where I am. 

I have altered my tactics as of late. I try to set aside times where I am diligent in carrying around my camera, going to places that spark my creativity. It is valuable – crucial, even – as a photographer to have my camera present. There are moments that pass by far too quickly and the magic of a shoot can be lost in seconds. But there’s also times where it’s important to set that aside to soak in the views and the smells and the energy and the character of a place. To enjoy the journey of a hike or the damp air of a sunrise or the presence of other humans. There’s moments that dwell in a way that fills me up as a creator, without the constant act of physically creating. 

It is important to remember why I am doing what I am doing.

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