We live in a world of photos, and while photos have always been apart of my life, they didn't take center stage the way they do today. People are snapping photos everywhere all the time, and what does that mean for who we are and what we do?
Too much focus on photos is not positive
To be overly focused on photos alone is not positive because we are much more than a still picture or video. While photos and videos can capture a moment, they don't tell the whole story. We are far more than our images, and we can't forget that.
Just right photos are amazing touchstones
So while photos do not capture the depth of who we are, those photos are amazing touchstones--snapshots of meaningful moments or events.
Great photos and videos create emotion, bring back memories, inspire us and teach us
Photos create emotions in us. For example, a recent photo of my family at my son's wedding makes me feel happy and warm all over because I'm standing with the people that mean the most to me--the most intimate people in my life that I love so deeply and have shared so many awesome experiences with. I'll likely look at that photo 1,000's of times as I move ahead in life and each time, that photo will make me emote and help me remember that more than anything, I want to love and support my family.
Photos of good times also bring back great memories--these good time photos remind me of what I truly enjoy doing and want to do again and again.
Photo threads I follow or exhibits I see also inspire me and teach me. Recently I viewed photo exhibits about the lives of African Americans over time--these exhibits gave me an intimate view of a great variety of heartwarming scenes of everyday life--scenes similar to my own life with regard to family connections, love and care for one another and different related to geography, history, communities, gender and more. Too often as a child, people from various cultural groups were depicted in too narrow ways leaving me with distorted information, but now so many exhibits online and in real time are working against those too-narrow scopes broadening and informing us in essential, beneficial, humane ways and helping us to more truthfully see who we are as a people with respect to our similarities and differences.
A good photo truly helps you to see
When immersed in an event, it is often difficult to truly see that event with clarity. Yet, looking back at photos of the event, can help you to analyze and reflect upon the event in meaningful ways. Photos help you to notice the important nuances of an event that are easily missed while fully engaging in the activities. I enjoy looking back at the photos after an event to truly gain perspective about the event's highlights, challenges, people, place and more.
We are a photo-world--a world where people are constantly snapping and sharing images. As we engage in this, it is important that our picture-taking doesn't take us away from truly living life. Yet, at the same time, we can also use these photos to broaden our perspective, reflect on the way we live and love and to live the best possible life too. Onward.